NARCISSISTIC ABUSE RECOVERY
Narcissistic Abuse Counselling in Edmonton & Calgary
Support for individuals healing from emotional manipulation, gaslighting, trauma bonds, and relationship betrayal.
When You’re Left Questioning Your Reality
You may feel confused about what really happened.
You may replay conversations over and over, wondering if you were “too sensitive.”
You may feel embarrassed you stayed.
You may feel pulled back toward someone you know was hurting you.
Narcissistic abuse is not always obvious from the outside. It often unfolds subtly through patterns such as:
Gaslighting
Love bombing followed by devaluation
Blame shifting and projection
Emotional invalidation
DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender)
Cycles of intense closeness and sudden withdrawal
Over time, these dynamics can erode your self-trust, self-esteem, and emotional stability.
If you feel unlike yourself, you are not alone, and you are not imagining it. Narcissistic abuse recovery is not simply about “moving on.” It is about restoring your self-trust, identity, and emotional safety.
Through individual therapy, you can begin to make sense of what happened in a safe, grounded space, one where your experiences are validated and your nervous system can begin to settle.
THERAPY FOR NARCISSISTIC ABUSE RECOVERY
Recovery from narcissistic abuse requires more than insight. It requires safety, regulation, and support. Whether you are actively recovering from narcissistic abuse or just beginning to question the relationship, support can make the process less isolating.
In therapy, we focus on:
Healing from a narcissistic relationship
Support while recovering from a narcissistic relationship
Understanding trauma bonds and attachment patterns
Addressing gaslighting and chronic self-doubt
Strengthening intuition and self-trust
Rebuilding emotional boundaries
Learning red flags for future relationships
OUR APPROACH TO NARCISSISTIC ABUSE
When people ask how to recover from narcissistic abuse, they are often seeking clarity after prolonged confusion.
Our work together is:
Trauma-informed and emotionally safe
Attachment-aware and relationally grounded
Focused on nervous system regulation and stabilization
Centered on rebuilding self-trust and internal clarity
Non-pathologizing and non-judgmental
Guided by pacing that respects your capacity
In therapy, we may integrate:
Somatic (body-based) approaches to regulate trauma responses
Parts work, including inner child healing
EMDR when appropriate for processing distressing memories
Mindfulness practices to strengthen present-moment awareness
Boundary-building and relational skill development
We move carefully, processing and regulating, reflecting and grounding, so your system does not become overwhelmed.
The goal is not simply to analyze what happened.
It is to restore a felt sense of safety within yourself.
HEALING FROM NARCISSISTIC ABUSE IS A REBUILDING PROCESS
The end of a narcissistic relationship can feel like dropping a piece of pottery, shattered, scattered, unfamiliar. You may try to put yourself back together the way you were before, only to realize the pieces no longer fit in the same way. This is where deeper narcissistic abuse recovery begins.
Healing is less about fixing what broke and more about rebuilding from a stronger foundation. It often includes reconnecting with your core identity, strengthening emotional boundaries, and understanding how attachment patterns shaped the relationship dynamic.
There is also grief, not only for the relationship itself, but for the future you imagined. Letting go of trauma bonds and unmet hopes is part of healing from a narcissistic relationship. Therapy offers a steady, regulated presence while you gather those pieces and rebuild into something more grounded, self-aware, and self-protective.
Why It Feels So Hard to Leave?
Many people struggle to understand why stepping away felt nearly impossible.
The cycle of idealization and withdrawal activates the brain’s reward and attachment pathways, similar to substance dependence. Dopamine spikes during reconnection moments make the bond feel powerful and urgent.
This is why separation can feel like withdrawal, even when you logically know the relationship was harmful.
If you are seeking guidance on how to heal from narcissistic abuse, understanding the biology behind the bond reduces shame and restores clarity.
With support, your nervous system settles.
Your perception strengthens.
Your sense of self returns.
Why Narcissistic Abuse Is Also a Form of Grief?
Many people do not immediately recognize that what they are experiencing is grief. But healing from a narcissistic relationship often involves profound loss.
You are not only grieving the person. You are grieving:
The version of them you hoped was real
The future you imagined together
The safety you believed you had
The parts of yourself that became smaller in the relationship
There is also a more subtle grief, the loss of certainty. Gaslighting and manipulation can fracture your trust in your own perception. When the relationship ends, you may feel relief and heartbreak at the same time.
This layered grief is why narcissistic abuse recovery can feel so complex. You may miss someone who harmed you. You may long for the “good” moments while knowing they were intertwined with manipulation. You may feel anger, shame, sadness, and love all at once.
Grief in this context is not a sign that the relationship was healthy. It is a sign that you invested deeply. In individual therapy, we make space for this grief without judgment. Naming the loss, and allowing it to move through you, is an essential part of healing from narcissistic abuse.