Narcissism Archives - Cardinal Care Group

April 21, 2021

Anxiety Cures, Betrayal Trauma Healing, Comfort With Suffering, Conflict Resolution, Depression Cures, Emotional Abuse, Encouragement, Guest Authors, Narcissism, Parental Abandonment Healing, Personal Growth, Spiritual Abuse, Trauma Healing

Comfort and Encouragement In Heaps of Ashes

Hi friends…

Have you ever gone through something so peculiar and wondered, “Now what the heck was the point of that?” or “What good could possibly come of it?” Has it left you desperate for a word of comfort or encouragement?

I have found myself in this thought process in the past where situations didn’t make sense and all seemed like a giant heap of ashes. We all go through this. Situations can end up feeling like a giant wasteland.

Sometimes, we get to see the point of it all. Other times, we just don’t. It can feel frustrating because we don’t see the big picture.

One time, I felt that a situation was so horrible that nothing good could ever come out of it. Looking back, I see how the sad situation actually kickstarted an endeavor – a goal – which I ended up completing. I don’t believe I would have accomplished my goal had I not gone through the hardship. In the end, other people were helped and comforted. Also, I was strengthened, and I appreciate my new insights going forward.

There can be sweet that comes out of the bitter (sort of like turning life’s sour lemons into lemonade).

Take a look at this beautiful inspirational message from Mildred Page* who shares the following encouragement and wisdom:

“There are some scriptures that are so familiar that we tend to almost hurry by them and forget the benefit and grace they are meant to bring to our lives. Romans 8:28 is one of those verses. It says, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ Who doesn’t go through something in life that for all appearances doesn’t show any possibility of producing good in our lives? The world is full of circumstances that feel as if after the heat of the trial, all that could remain are ashes devoid of hope.

Let this verse in Romans, and God’s love comfort your heart and bring a peace of mind that no matter what you have gone through or are facing now, God promises that His love will actively work in it and weave his story in your life that will be for your good and bring glory to Him. He will be faithful to work in all things, and that leaves nothing untouched by His sovereign, loving hand.

Be strengthened with comfort and encouragement as you journey through difficult, seemingly impossible times that while God works in it for your good, He will be right by your side, helping and strengthening you, and holding you up.

Isaiah 41:10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.'”

“To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:3

“People seldom see themselves changing. It’s like going out in the morning or in the springtime to pick flowers. You pick and you wander ‘til suddenly you find that the light is gone and the flowers are withered in your hand.” – Zora Neale Hurston

*Special thanks to Mildred Page @mildred_page on Instagram; Shared with author’s permission (please do not copy).

April 6, 2021

Anxiety Cures, Attachment Theory, Betrayal Trauma Healing, Emotional Abuse, Narcissism, Parental Abandonment Healing, Personal Growth, Relationships, The Silent Treatment, Trauma Healing

toxic relationships and trusting God with anxiety

What is the opposite of anxiety? How do we heal from toxic relationships and emotional abuse? The way I see it is that fear is the emotion/anticipation of a real threat. Anxiety is the emotion/anticipation of an imagined threat. A lot of our anxieties and fears come from traumas of the past. These can be traumas from past relationships through traumatic memory. Our brains learn to expect certain outcomes. Individuals involved in unsafe coercive-control groups or destructive cults have traumatic memories that linger for many years.

Our first primal fear is a fear of heights (that is, a fear of being dropped). We all learn this as small children. There is no shame in this. It’s a survival thing.

We can remember God’s promises for today:

☀️ He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)

☀️ We can press on from the past, receive forgiveness, forgive others and forgive ourselves

☀️ We can have faith that God will bind up our wounds if we ask (Psalm 147:3; Mark 11:24)

☀️ Let the past be a lesson for today and the future, not an anchor

☀️ Stay in the arena and fight for what we believe in, letting everything fall to the wayside that was and is a weight that hinders

☀️ We can let go of the fear of people because it’s a trap. We can trust God instead

Today, I pray God’s healing waters would flow into your soul as you feel refreshed and ready to move forward with a future focus. Onward!

If you are dealing with fear, anxiety or trauma from toxic relationships you are certainly not alone!

If you would like, visit Cardinal Care Group on Instagram where I share my creative side and weekly inspirations!

Xx Becky

#anxietyhelp #covidanxiety #christianinspiration #biblequotes #bibleverse #jesus #jesuslovesyou #anxietyawareness #anxiety #anxietyrelief #covidmentalhealth

November 18, 2020

Coercive-Control Groups, Cult Expert Rick Ross, Cult Warning Signs, Emotional Abuse, Spiritual Abuse, Unsafe Group Warning Signs

10 WARNING SIGNS OF A POTENTIALLY UNSAFE GROUP OR LEADER BY RICK ROSS, EXPERT CONSULTANT AND INTERVENTION SPECIALIST

“Potentially unsafe groups or leaders ‘come off very nice at first, they go for vulnerable people who are looking for answers, lonely, what you’d call ‘normal people.’ They’re very good at what they do and can get people to believe anything. You might think you’d never get taken in, but don’t bet on it.“
– Margaret Singer, Ph.D.

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader

By Rick Ross, Expert Consultant and Intervention Specialist

Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
Followers feel they can never be “good enough.”
The group/leader is always right.
The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

The author of this list, Rick Ross, gave me written permission on March 9, 2012. Please do not copy the contents of this article. Link sharing is permitted and/or sharing to https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html

Full attribution: Ross, Rick. “Warning Signs.” Cult Education Institute. 1999-2014. Trenton, New Jersey. Accessed November 3, 2020. Retrieved from https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html with permission.

March 19, 2019

Coercive-Control Groups, Cult Warning Signs, Emotional Abuse, Narcissism, Relationships, The Silent Treatment, Toxic Relationships

Narcissism, Emotional Abuse and the Silent Treatment: Why You Should Not Allow This Oppression In Your Life

Say “No” To Silence and Mandated Shunning

The dreaded silent treatment. It should not be allowed in our lives for many reasons. The silent treatment equates with a lack of human dignity and a lack of love and respect. Who needs that?

Nobody likes being on the receiving end of silence. Not many realize what is truly happening during the silent treatment. Many individuals don’t understand at all what is happening, especially if one is highly empathetic and tends to see the good in others.

Individuals who are acting abusively use the silent treatment dagger to throw the target off kilter and to keep control and domination. It is a subtle yet damaging form of aggression, and why would we allow aggression and coercive control in our lives? It’s an attempt to control a person, to tell them clearly – without words – “You don’t matter” and “I dominate you in this relationship.” It’s human oppression which is rooted in pride and hatred rather than freedom, humility and love. The silent treatment is manipulation.

The best we can do when we are dealing with a controlling person is to pray for him or her and to stop giving the person the opportunity to further abuse. This might equate with stopping the chase. Keep in mind that true narcissists love the mind games which include a chase. When we chase a narcissist, we are only hurting ourselves.

Are We Overthinking It?

Often, the temptation creeps in which makes us think that we are “overthinking” the silence. That is, maybe the silent person is “Just busy” or “Not trying to be overtly mean.” While that might be absolutely true in some rare cases, our intuitions (God-sent) do alarm us when something is unhealthy in the relationship. The fact is that where the silent treatment flourishes, there is often an unhealthy or toxic dynamic. Plain and simple, the silent treatment, when done on purpose to punish someone, is oppressive emotional abuse! Gaslighting (when the abuser gets the target to doubt his or her understanding and reality), confusion and cognitive dissonance often ensue.

While I believe there can be times to show grace, mercy and to give others the benefit of the doubt, often our gullibility and lack of education concerning the silent treatment tactic ends up perpetuating the abuse. Those who have kind, merciful hearts are at high risk for emotional abuse from the silent treatment.

Sharie Stines, Psy.D explains,

“Abusers and/or narcissistic personality types love to ignore you and they love for you to know that they are ignoring you [this is part of the game of chase]. Why is that? Let’s parse this concept apart. The silent treatment is not blatant; it’s insidious [it’s not a mere accident, it’s an actual, aggressive tactic used in abusive relationships. Yes, there are people this cruel]. The only person who really feels the silent treatment is the target. The person giving the silent treatment is not being overtly aggressive, abusive, or unkind in any visible way [this lends to the confusion of the abusive dynamic]. This keeps him looking “good” and reasonable. When challenged, the giver of the silent treatment can say comments such as, “I’m fine.” “Nothing’s wrong.” “I’m not mad.” Or some other innocuous comment [this causes self-doubt and more confusion]. Realize that these comments are forms of gas lighting and confabulation, which are other common narcissistic weapons (see Coping with Narcissistic Confabulators.) The internal confusion results in the experience of cognitive dissonance, which is prevalent in abusive relationships.” (Emphasis in brackets added)
https://pro.psychcentral.com/recovery-expert/2016/07/the-silent-treatment/

Friends, allowing ourselves to be ignored is not a good idea for one main reason: it eats away at our self-worth and self-esteem. It is a blatant contradiction to the truth: that God values you and that you have human dignity. You should not allow the silent treatment in your life because you have worth and you matter! You should value yourself too. The silent treatment – like a poison – will only damage your psyche, your spirit and even those around you who need you to be healthy!

We are called to respect others but also to respect ourselves. Relationships should be nourishing, life-giving and should allow for equal communication with mutual listening. Above all, when dealing with others who are trying to dominate with the iron fist of silence, let go of fear. Instead, operate in a spirit of power, love and self-control. You – not the abuser – have the power to say “No” to the shaming tool of silence, to love them, pray for them, and get on with your life of freedom.

In my future article, I will discuss my insights about what to do when the silent treatment happens to you. I look forward to exploring those insights and going deeper, together.