London-based psychotherapist Stina Sanders explains the four stages of the Narcissistic Abuse Cycle.
Sanders, who is also a lifestyle blogger, recently had her own “dream relationship” that turned into a nightmare when her partner became abusive towards her.
Sanders appeared on This Morning to explain the stages of the Narcissistic Abuse Cycle.
Stage 1: Idolization
“So the first stage is the idolization stage, that’s when they love bomb you, they put you on a pedestal, you feel amazing. You essentially fall in love very quickly, you’re lured into a false sense of security.”
Stage 2: Devalue
“Once they have you, that then moves on to the devalue stage, which is where the belittling, the gaslighting, the emotional, the verbal and sometimes the physical abuse will start to happen. They chip away at yourself, you become a shell of your former self.”
Stage 3: Discard
“Then the third stage is the discard stage. Once they’re done with you and found someone else to manipulate they then leave you, feeling very upset and very confused.
Stage 4: Hoover
“And the last stage is the hoover stage. Doesn’t always happen, but this is when the abuser comes back for more. They hoover you, they see if they can still manipulate you and essentially they do that to stop you from moving on.”
Sanders also said gaslighting is a “manipulation tactic” that “abusers use to basically get you to doubt yourself”.
Narcissists are constantly on the lookout for more victims. If you don’t present yourself as a victim you will not be an easy target for a narcissist.
Watch the video below.
