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Trauma recovery for narcissistic abuse
Breaking free from narcissistic trauma isn’t just about leaving the relationship - it’s about reclaiming your sense of self.
Narcissistic relationships leave deep emotional wounds - gaslighting, manipulation, and constant invalidation can erode your self-worth, leaving you anxious, confused, and emotionally exhausted. Even after the relationship ends, the trauma lingers in your mind and body, making it difficult to trust, set boundaries, or even recognize your own needs.
You are not broken. You were conditioned to doubt yourself. But healing is possible
How narcissistic trauma affects you
Surviving narcissistic abuse often leads to:
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Hypervigilance & Anxiety – Always second-guessing yourself, feeling on edge.
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Emotional Flashbacks – Feeling stuck in past pain, even when you’re safe.
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Guilt & Self-Blame – Internalizing their toxic words and actions.
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Trust Issues – Struggling to believe in your own intuition or trust others.
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People-Pleasing & Fawning Responses – Putting others first, ignoring your own needs.
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Dissociation & Emotional Numbness – Feeling detached, as if life isn’t real.
Narcissistic trauma and panic attacks
Narcissistic abuse leaves deep imprints on the nervous system, making survivors more prone to panic attacks and chronic anxiety. The effects of manipulation, gaslighting, and emotional control create a heightened state of fear and uncertainty—even long after the relationship ends.
When someone has been subjected to long-term emotional abuse, their body remains in a survival state (fight-flight-freeze-fawn), which makes panic attacks more likely to occur.
What a Trauma-Induced Panic Attack Feels Like
If your panic attacks are linked to narcissistic trauma, they may have some unique characteristics:
⚠ Triggered by Words, Actions, or Places Associated with the Narcissist
⚠ Sudden Heart Racing & Breathlessness - feeling like you’re in immediate danger
⚠ Overwhelming Fear of Losing Control - even if nothing is happening
⚠ Feeling Small, Powerless, or Frozen in Place - linked to past emotional submission
⚠ Strong Physical Reactions (Shaking, Chills, Nausea) - as if your body is under attack
⚠ A Deep Urge to Escape or Shut Down Emotionally
Why narcissistic trauma triggers panic attacks
1️⃣ Hypervigilance
• Narcissistic abuse forces you to be constantly on edge, predicting their next outburst, criticism, or silent treatment.
• This hyperawareness rewires the brain, making it difficult to relax, meaning sudden panic attacks - even in safe situations.
2️⃣ Emotional Flashbacks & Triggers
• Panic attacks are often triggered by past trauma unexpectedly resurfacing —this could be a tone of voice, a familiar phrase, or even a place.
• Your body reacts as if the danger is happening right now, even if you are physically safe.
3️⃣ Gaslighting Creates Self-Doubt & Fear
• After being told your emotions aren’t valid, you may fear your own reactions.
• This fear of ‘overreacting’ or ‘being crazy’ can itself trigger panic—especially if you struggle to trust your perceptions.
4️⃣ Learned Helplessness & Freezing Response
• When someone has been emotionally controlled for a long time, they may develop a freeze response.
• Panic attacks often happen when triggers overwhelm the nervous system, leaving you feeling powerless.
5️⃣ C-PTSD
• Narcissistic trauma often leads to complex PTSD (C-PTSD). Trauma does not relate to one incident but occurs over a long period of time (eg domestic or family violence.) Unpredictability causes the body to rewired itself so it remains hypervigilent for all possible physical AND emotional threats.
• The body then overproduces adrenaline, making it easy to tip into full-blown panic mode.
Healing the panic trauma cycle
To break the cycle of trauma-induced panic, survivors must retrain the nervous system and rebuild emotional safety.
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CBT for Trauma & Panic: Helps challenge the fear-based thoughts that fuel panic attacks.
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Somatic & Nervous System Reset Tools: Breathwork, grounding, and vagal nerve exercises to regulate overactive fear responses.
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Guided Hypnosis for Emotional Safety: Rewires the subconscious to detach fear from past trauma.
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Guided Hypno-journeys: Engaging with vulnerable and angry parts that struggle to engage.
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Exposure Therapy (In a Safe Way): Gradually facing previously triggering situations without panic taking over.
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Letting Go Rituals & Emotional Release: Physically & mentally breaking the trauma bond so past memories no longer hold power.
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Mindfulness: Realising you are not the mind and not the body so giving you the confidence and trust to support yourself through healing safely.
Narcissistic abuse does not define you. Trauma does not have to be a prison sentence.
My tools for healing trauma
Shaking Dog
Energy Release
Vagus Humming
Technique
Ear-Pull-
Swallow
These tools work as they:
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Release stored trauma from the nervous system.
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Interrupt the fight-or-flight response by engaging the vagus nerve.
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Help rebuild a sense of internal safety—crucial after narcissistic abuse.
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Can be used before, during or after a panic episode or a period of trauma overwhelm for quick relief
If you need one-to-one support: