If you've ever found yourself making excuses for someone who never once made them for you, this episode is exactly where you need to be.

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If you've ever walked away from a relationship wondering how you lost yourself along the way, this episode is for you. Dr. Stephanie Kriesberg, clinical psychologist and one of the only therapists in New England certified in the "Will I Ever Be Good Enough?" model, joined us to talk about narcissism, hypnotherapy and what healing actually looks like in practice.

First things first — not all narcissists look the same. Dr. Kriesberg breaks down the two main types: the grandiose narcissist who dominates every room and needs constant admiration, and the covert narcissist who's quieter but just as skilled at getting other people to orbit around their needs. Both types share the same core: a lack of empathy, no real self-awareness and an expectation that the world exists to regulate their emotions. As Dr. Kriesberg puts it, a narcissist is essentially a child in an adult's body.

So why do so many smart, capable people end up in these relationships? Because narcissists can be magnetic. They shower you with attention early on, make you feel chosen and needed — and by the time the dynamic shifts, you're already in deep. Dr. Kriesberg also addresses one of the most common misconceptions people carry: the belief that love, patience or the right circumstances will change things. They usually don't.

We also talked about what not to do. Trying to explain yourself endlessly, hoping that if you just say it the right way they'll finally get it? That burden is not yours to carry. Instead, Dr. Kriesberg encourages people to hold onto their own sense of self, practice assertiveness and listen to their gut — especially those early red flags that are easy to rationalize away but hard to ignore once you know what they mean.

And then there's hypnotherapy. This is where the conversation gets really interesting. Clinical hypnotherapy has nothing to do with stage shows or clucking like a chicken. It's a focused, relaxed state that helps people access their imagination and memory in a more intentional way. Dr. Kriesberg uses it with clients recovering from difficult relationships to help them reconnect with who they were before the relationship chipped away at them — recalling moments of confidence, competence and clarity, and bringing those back into the present. It's not a standalone fix, but woven into a broader therapy approach, it can be genuinely powerful.

Dr. Kriesberg also makes the case that the most important factor in therapy isn't the model or the method — it's the relationship with your therapist. If it's not clicking, find someone else. The ball is in your court.

This was a real, grounded conversation about patterns that are easier to spot in hindsight and harder to escape in the moment. Give it a listen.

Hypnotherapy & Coping with Narcissists with Dr. Stephanie Kriesberg