Latest Blog Posts
The Mental Structure of a Person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder
This is a simplified diagram of the mental structure of the mind of a narcissist. It is a complex system of defences which protect the conscious mind from the buried feelings of shame and rejection. The real wants and needs of
The Brain and Trauma
Swollen Amygdala A child living under traumatic conditions will develop a brain that is very biased to danger. This will last into adulthood. This is done through the amygdala which is the ‘smoke alarm’ and emotional centre of the brain. Brain
Body Image and Binge Eating
What is Binge Eating? Binge eating can be defined as episodes of overly excessive and rapid eating in a short period of time which are accompanied by a sense of a lack of control. This results in distress. There can be
Why Some People Do Not Know They Have Trauma
We learn to defend ourselves from the world at a very young age. These defences become ingrained and we think they are parts of our personalities. We may often dismiss our defences as ‘that’s just me.’ Defences are ingenious as they
Triggers and Triggering
A child who has lived in a situation of stress and abuse for a prolonged time will usually develop Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is an elaborate system of defence mechanisms which are triggered by events in the environment which
What is Narcissistic Abuse?
Narcissistic abuse describes the way narcissists behave toward intimate others and the effects it has on them. NPD is a set of defence mechanisms that shape the way people with NPD look at, and relate to, the world. This leads to
Chronic People Pleasing
People pleasers put others before themselves and consider their own needs last, if at all. Often, children are not permitted to be themselves, perhaps their parents are abusive or just do not accept their child for who they are. This results
Clues That You May Have Complex PTSD
Some people who have Complex PTSD often do not know that they have it because so much of their emotional life and bodily sensations have been suppressed. Here are some subtle clues that might point to CPTSD: Body You may find
Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis was developed by Eric Berne who wrote the popular book ‘Games People Play‘. Ego States Berne posited that each individual possesses three basic ego states – the Parent, Adult, and the Child. These states represent a person’s internal model
