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One of the first things the narcissist will do after having ensnared you is to cut you off from your intuition. They’ll do that by making you doubt your feelings and putting majority of your trust into what they say.
The process can begin innocently with you asking what they think of your hair cut or outfit. While still in the love bombing stage, they will tell you they love it, that you are beautiful, handsome, just perfect. This of course will soon begin to change.
As your involvement deepens, the questions you ask the narcissist will likewise grow deeper and more complex. For example, you may ask him or her about what they think about how you handled an edgy situation at work. You may ask their opinion about a family member, or input into a circumstance involving your child.
Slowly, their support will wane. In its place, subtle, but no less cutting, criticisms will begin to distort the idyllic picture.
Origins of Self-Doubt
As a target of abuse, you’ve been trained to doubt your feelings. It’s a vile form of relationship indoctrination that’s devoid of sustenance. The goal is to not celebrate your best qualities but to mold you to become who the narcissist wants you to be. That presents a challenge to say the least, and not only because…