Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Supportive Therapy; If you have a family member with a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), supportive therapy can help them change their behavior. It can also help you get along better with other people.
Therapists use psychodynamic therapy and gestalt therapy to help sufferers change their thoughts and behaviors. These therapies help them see themselves in a new light and help them relate to others more thoughtfully.
Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT)
Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT) aims to enhance an individual’s ability to mentalize their emotions and feelings. This can help them better understand the causes and consequences of their symptoms.
MBT involves a therapist and patient relationship. The therapist guides the patient to explore their distorted thoughts and behaviors.
The therapist uses three methods to explore the patient’s subjective experience: clarification, confrontation, and interpretation. Clarification is the first intervention and focuses on contradictions or conflicts that the patient experiences within themselves or with others.
Confrontation is a second step that encourages the patient to actively point out discrepancies between their perceptions and their therapist’s. This process is important for facilitating change.
People with NPD often have a defense mechanism known as “splitting.” This is when someone sees things and people as purely good or bad. During therapy, the therapist helps the patient recognize this behavior and develop a more nuanced approach to their relationships. This can reduce the likelihood of escalating or volatile behavior.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of behavioral therapy that is particularly effective for people who struggle with borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and other personality disorders. Mood disorders like anxiety, depression, and bipolar can also benefit from it.
A narcissistic personality disorder is a serious mental health condition that requires specialized treatment. The right therapist will help you understand the effect of your condition on your life and support you in changing your behavior.
DBT involves individual and group therapy sessions. In each session, you’ll discuss your emotions and behaviors with your therapist. You’ll also practice new coping skills.
DBT therapy can be a long process, but it’s worth the effort. Patients who undergo DBT tend to have better social adjustment and are less likely to seek inpatient psychiatric care.
Mindfulness exercises will help you learn to pay attention to, rather than become caught up in, your internal experience. You’ll be asked to keep and bring a diary to each session. Watch the exercise below.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Narcissistic personality disorder can be treated with a variety of therapies. These include psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or a combination of both.
CBT involves talking with a therapist, who can help you understand and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It also helps you build better relationships with others and improve your overall well-being.
Narcissists typically have an exaggerated sense of self and focus on themselves to the exclusion of everyone else. This can lead to various problems, including low self-esteem and low confidence.
People with narcissistic personality disorder may find it difficult to talk about their feelings with others and have difficulties putting themselves in others’ shoes. This is why they might not want to see a therapist or think they need help.
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Some people with narcissistic personality disorder have experienced traumatic events that have affected their thoughts and behavior. These can include abuse, trauma, loss, and other stressful situations.
EMDR Therapy
Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic approach that aims to reduce the emotional toll of traumatic memories. It uses bilateral stimulation to help people with NPD process disturbing memories and coping skills.
During EMDR, you and your therapist work to identify the memory you want to reprocess. You will also discuss your thoughts and emotions about the traumatic memory.
Once you have identified the target memory, your therapist will direct your eyes to follow a series of visual stimuli as they move around your eyes. This helps shift the traumatic memory into something that feels more manageable.
Your therapist will evaluate how you are doing at the end of each session. If you’re still having problems processing the memory, they may suggest additional therapy sessions to help you. They may also recommend keeping a journal of unpleasant thoughts and feelings to keep track of them. This will help you maintain the emotional balance between sessions and give you new targets to focus on in future therapy.
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