Lessons in life, love, loss, and what it means to be betrayed by the people who you love most. — by E.B. Johnson When I launched my narcissistic abuse recovery program a year ago, I thought I had a lot to teach the world about narcissists and the families that they build. …

Coming to terms with a life lived unloved by the ghost of a woman who never was. — Please Note: Some names have been changed to protect the anonymity of individuals both living and deceased. by: E.B. Johnson The day I found my mother’s psychiatric medication is a day that saved my life. Sneaking into my mother’s bedroom had always been a sin, but it became a capital…

You feel like waves crashing against the beach. — you feel like sunshine. you feel like waves crashing against a beach kissed by fantasy. you feel like soft corners and hard edges. you feel like a complex universe trapped by its own complexities. you feel like another lifetime. another city. another small death. you feel like summer just before the…

Looking in the mirror can do us all a bit of good. — There’s a hot button topic making the rounds on TikTok and Twitter. Nurses and carers, based in palliative care homes, telling the stories of their loneliest and most abandoned patients. Is it childfree women? Bachelors and widowers who never built a family? Surprisingly, no. The answer is: parents. Parents of…

On fearing love when presence is gone. — She was in a flood of tears that just wouldn’t stop. “I don’t understand why he would do that to me. He said nothing. He just walked out of the room and we haven’t spoken in hours. He hates me, I just know it.” This was a call I got…

Look out for the patterns to prevent major heartbreak. — Fidelity is an important part of any intimate relationship, no matter how it is configured. It’s crucial that we can trust our partners to show up and support us the way we need them to. More than that, it’s key that we can do so without begging, groveling, or the…

Confronting the shame to live a more fulfilled life. — What are you ashamed of? Are you ashamed of your body? Of your home? Of your job? Your friends? Your clothes? Living a life ashamed can be confusing and heartbreaking all at the same time. Once the wall comes crashing down, the others aren’t far behind. You feel you want…

Stop downplaying the role your relationships are playing in your life if you want your new year to be radically different. — The time has come again. The days are growing shorter and the weather colder, too. Smiles and travels of summer seem like a memory already. As the holidays inch closer, we cling to our closest relationships and look to the return of warmer days ahead. A fresh new start and…

Why authentic emotions are the true path to emotional liberation. — Have you written in your gratitude journal today? It’s one of the top questions you hear from therapists, coaches, and Instagram gurus alike. Even science swears by it. A little gratitude each day will keep the bad things in life at bay. Or, at least that’s what we’re promised from…