Obsessive cleaning or repeating tasks is common. You might clean the house obsessively, even though it’s already spotless, or constantly rehash your story to others to validate your experience, which is known as “trauma dumping.” This can feel comforting because it offers a sense of control and validation.
To work through obsessive tendencies, body-based therapeutic approaches, like somatic experiencing, trauma-informed yoga, and brainspotting, can help release this pattern.
3. Psychosis and Paranoia
On the extreme end, severe abuse can alter brain function, sometimes causing vivid experiences, like hearing the narcissist’s voice after they’re gone. This experience, alongside paranoia, makes it hard to trust anyone again.
Healing from this often requires professional help and, at times, medication if these symptoms are strong. Psychosis induced by trauma can blur lines between real and perceived threats, so therapy can be invaluable.
4. Dissociative Disorders
Dissociation might make you feel disconnected from your body, emotions, or reality. You may feel like you’re observing yourself from above or that life isn’t real. Dissociation is a survival response; your mind disconnects you from overwhelming emotions for self-preservation.
Healing involves gradually reconnecting with your body by becoming aware of subtle sensations, like hunger, thirst, and rest. Developing this awareness signals to your brain that it’s safe to inhabit your body again.
5. Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD)
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