In this kickoff to a powerful new series, The Narcissism Trap, Natalie Hoffman challenges a popular narrative in abuse recovery: labeling an emotionally abusive partner as a “narcissist.”

While that term may feel validating at first, Natalie explains how it can actually work against your healing by keeping you locked in the wrong story.

If you've been Googling “narcissist” at 2 a.m. to make sense of your painful marriage, this episode is for you.

🎯 Key Takeaways:

Stop giving the abuse a medical label.
Narcissism is a clinical diagnosis that can distract from the very real pattern of covert oppression you’re living in.
Start calling it what it is: oppression.
This isn’t about someone who’s mentally ill or just "struggling." This is about power, control, and silencing your voice.
Shifting the language helps you shift your mindset.
When you stop analyzing him and start focusing on your own story, healing becomes possible.
You're not crazy or overreacting.
You're likely experiencing strategic emotional abuse often invisible to outsiders but deeply damaging inside your home.

Get Today’s Free Resource:

🧐 Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage. Get a free chapter by going to isitmebook.com

I will also send you my weekly Hope Letters for Christian women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages.