One of the strangest expectations placed on people healing from trauma is this idea that recovery should look peaceful. Calm.Forgiving.Soft-spoken. As if healing automatically means becoming endlessly understanding about the people who hurt you. But many Adult Children of Narcissists discover something uncomfortable along the way: Healing often comes with…

There’s something I didn’t expect after going No Contact. I expected grief.I expected anger.I expected relief mixed with sadness. What I didn’t expect… was feeling destabilized. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth I’ve slowly come to understand: As unhealthy as the relationship was, my mother had been the most consistent thing…