When only a shell is left behind…
“The scars from mental cruelty can be as deep and long-lasting as wounds from punches or slaps but are often not as
obvious. In fact, even among women who have experienced violence from a partner, half or more report that the man’s emotional abuse is what is causing them the greatest harm.”
― Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men.
When the soft rustling of leaves scare you, when the slightest movement makes you jump out of your skin and when you are constantly looking over your shoulder for an unseen calamity to gobble up your essence, pry your eyes open and look around for a masked frenemy, a narcissist.
Just like an addict who needs to amp up his dose to get high, a narcissist needs to boost his ego by latching on to someone meeker. It starts with a frown, concealed by a smile. A snide remark masked as a joke or a retort thrown your way in a very casual manner, slightly increasing the intensity with each rebuke.
They come in all shapes, genders, and sizes, and their common attribute is to suck happiness and confidence out of their prey. It could be a friend, partner, spouse, or someone dear. Initially, an egoist weaves a golden web around its prey with praise, prize, and pleasantries; later, he goes for the kill.
Usually, narcissists are smart enough not to harm the subject physically. They like being famous and likable in society, which they cant threaten by physical abuse. Taunting, name-calling, gaslighting, threatening, and shame calling have equally adverse effects as physical abuse. The best part of verbal abuse is that it has no proof or evidence. It can be denied quickly and shamelessly, making the prey doubt herself.
Realization is the key to unlocking the narcissist’s prison, which is hard as he isolates his prisoner from the social scene. By the time the subject gets aware of the circumstances, dear ones are already distanced, and the narcissist has the strings to make the prey dance to his tune, till the time only a human shell is left behind and the spirit disappears.
