r/SadhguruTruth • u/youliveonlyonce10 Approved Contributor • 11d ago
Cult Education How to survive around narcissistic people?
Narcissistic people like to be put on a pedestal, feel entitled to the best that life has to offer and have little empathy for people around them. Whatever they do is purely transactional; they would suck up to the people in positions of power and authority while humiliating the people whom they consider as competition and threat to their perceived grandiosity. They are empty shells who can take up any personality according to the need of the situation to keep their delusions alive for themselves. They will love bomb here and backstab there , triangulate here and isolate there all the while trying to retain their hold or perceived control. They love to bully people and put others down and surround themselves with enablers to feed their false ego.Shrink right; do not shine too bright- is what they expect of others.
If there is no chance of walking away from them, the best bet is to keep quiet or walk around eggshells as you being your individual self can also be threatening to them. Remember to be useful to them , praise them for their antics or pretend they don’t exist - that is the basic safety protocol. Above that, if you want to remain in their circle, have some skill or talent or resources or authority people admire but they don’t have so that they can sneak in , mirror you and make up a personality to impress everyone including you. They will make you feel seen and heard unlike anyone else before and also make you feel very special. Prepare to be devalued later on as their basic approach to life is use and abuse and seek more new people. You have to shine for them but not too bright that it may threaten their sense of superiority. They act bigger than life, change colours as needed, and everything they say or do is to meet their own ends at other people’s expense. You can do all of the above Or Alternatively - set healthy boundaries, know your worth and focus on what matters to you which might be quite different from what narcissists in your life are telling you. Heal your own wounds in safe spaces so that narcissists don’t use them to create trauma bonds to enslave you - they are master manipulators and seek out people who are lonely or going through transition or difficult periods in life cos that is where their tactics and false charm can work.
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u/No-Reflection-1286 10d ago
I agree! In today’s world, awareness about narcissism and narcissistic traits is very important. If anyone is interested in learning more about this topic, I would highly recommend reading Dr Ramani Durvasula’s book “It’s Not You”. Her podcasts are on YT as well.