My Narcissistic Mother
A story of control, survival, and self-trust
From About
Who is writing this
Hello, I’m Peter.
I grew up with a narcissistic mother. As a boy I learned to read her face, her tone, and her silences before I decided what to say, and the watching didn’t stop when I became an adult. Her control reached into my education, my work, my money, my relationships and, most of all, my ability to make decisions without constantly anticipating her reaction.
In 2017, after years of trying to make the relationship work, I left and went no contact.
I started this website to write about what happened in that house and what it took to understand it. The patterns had names, as it turned out. I just didn’t know them for most of my life.
Peter
The whole story, on the About page
In the house
Silent Treatment
The Silent Treatment by a Narcissistic Mother 10 minThe silence told me that I had done something wrong and refused to tell me what.
Guilt
Why You Feel Guilty Around a Narcissistic Mother 14 minI often tried to repair things I hadn’t broken.
Making sense of it
How I Went No Contact With My Narcissistic Mother 13 minThe decision to actually leave took me two days. Understanding why I had stayed so long took years.
Guides
All blog posts
Every blog post, newest first
The book
Escaping the Toxic Chains of a Narcissistic Mother
A memoir and a practical recovery guide in one book: what it was like to grow up with my narcissistic mother, how I finally recognized the patterns, and how I built a life that isn’t organized around fear and guilt.
It doesn’t tell you that no contact is the only answer.
A letter, now and then
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Need help now?
If you’re dealing with abuse or emotional distress and need someone to talk to, you can find support in your country through Find A Helpline.