You’ve come to realize the Illusion of the Narcissist.
…and that your relationship with the Narcissist was a reality warp.
No matter how many times you replay history in your mind, you can’t make sense of it or come to grips with what you now know was an illusion.
Hyperreality: the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality; a condition in which what is real and what is fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins. Individuals may find themselves for different reasons, more in tune or involved with the hyperreal world and less with the physical real world.
This hyperreal world is the one we live in with the Narcissist. Nothing can be taken at face value. We take on the Narcissist’s version of reality – the illusion of the narcissist – and apply it as our own. Like Tom Cruise’s character in Vanilla Sky, we exist in a continuous lucid dream state, hoping against all hope that the false reality is real, in spite of the frequent implications otherwise.
Carrie Reimer, author of the blog Lady With a Truck, writes about this reality warp with keen insight in her article, Sick Narcissistic S.O.B.’s. Although she’d begun to pick up on reality towards the end of her abusive relationship, her article demonstrates how easy it is to assume the Narcissist’s attempts at being nice are sincere; although his “being a gentleman” can point dangerously to the opposite.
Reality Warp: Imagine yourself in the setting she describes, entering the home of the Narcissist where he has your favorite drink ready for you. He’s dressed nicely and has cleaned his home. He invites you to take a shower and you accept. As you cross his bedroom towards the shower, you notice a robe on the bed. You believe he laid it out for you. You take your shower, exit and put on the robe, go back to the kitchen and take a sip from your drink. The Narcissist is playing the guitar and you think you’re being romanced.
Reality: All of the provisions you’ve just taken part in were actually meant for another lover. She may have left moments before you arrived, or perhaps is expected to arrive soon.
To the Narcissist, all lovers are one in the same person, in spite of how unique they claim we are in the beginning of the relationship. (It’s important to remember that you ARE unique, only that the Narcissist is unable to see you that way).
But…
The irony of hyperreality with the Narcissist is that our version of reality seems so real to us because we love and we want to believe. And, to our detriment, the Narcissist produces symbols that represent things that do not actually exist. These inauthentic symbols often manifest in the form of:
Hoovering – Creating the false illusion that he/she is sorry for their cruelty.
Reality – They don’t love you; they only need you for supply and domination.
Dangling Carrots – Taking you to look at cars and shopping for homes or engagement rings.
Reality – They have no intention of following through on these things. It’s simply a trick to keep you hopeful and hooked.
Torn Between Two Lovers – During one of their Silent Treatments, you implemented No Contact, and they put on a show of having been forced into the arms of another lover.
Reality – They’ve been grooming new supply for some time now and your attempt at No Contact was the perfect opportunity for them to begin triangulating.
Escape From Plato’s Cave
One of the earliest indications of the awareness of hyperreality can be found in Plato’s Republic, specifically, in the Allegory of the Cave. Socrates describes a group of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall, and begin to ascribe meanings to these shadows.
According to Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality.
And thus is life with the Narcissist. The whole relationship is based on shadows. They are the lie, from hello to goodbye…
Just as Plato’s prisoner is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all, Tom Cruise’s character decides to wake up and conquer his fears by leaping from a rooftop.
Your awakening needn’t be so dramatic. All you need to do is go No Contact in order to stop living in shadows and illusions.
“I wanna wake up! Tech support! It’s a nightmare! Tech support! Tech support!” ~ David, Cruise’s character in Vanilla Sky
Forget everything you know about life, and just open your eyes…
This is a revolution of the mind
When did the dream become a nightmare?
Open your eyes.
How to Get Help
If you believe you’re experiencing narcissistic abuse, you don’t have to tolerate it. Consider whether or not the relationship is doing you more harm than good.
Don’t blame yourself. A person’s choice to be abusive isn’t because of anything you’re doing or not doing. You’re not the cause for their behavior, no matter what they say.
Taking care of yourself is the biggest priority, which may include breaking off the relationship.
Here are some helpful resources:
is a free resource that includes everything you need to get started on healing your life after narcissistic abuse.
The Break Free Program – Explore techniques derived from behavioral therapy (vetted by the psychological and neuro-psychological communities) to finally heal your life.
The Bottom Line
Everyone has the innate capacity to heal themselves. But, it’s likely you will need external support to heal the traumas that get in the way of your ability to tune into this gift.⠀Helpful tools and resources can assist you in developing effective ways to break free from narcissistic abuse.