Videos

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Der US-amerikanische Psychologe und Autor des Buches Unmasking Narcissism – A guide to understanding the narcissist in your life, Dr. Mark Ettensohn, betreibt einen Youtube-Kanal mit hervorragenden Informationen zum Thema. Anders als nahezu alle, der inzwischen in großer Zahl verfügbaren Kanäle, welche regelmäßig eine dämonisierende Haltung einnehmen, ist Ettensohn bemüht, Narzissmus als die schwere psychische Störung darzustellen, die er ist und zu betonen, was zu oft überhaupt nicht gesagt wird: Auch Narzissten leiden! Sie wollen keine Narzissten sein und haben sich ihre kognitiv-emotionalen Einschränkungen und Barrieren nicht ausgesucht. Es wird empfohlen, mit den ersten, also frühesten Videos im Kanal zu beginnen und sich dann schrittweise neueren zu widmen.

This video continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series with Dr. Mark Ettensohn and associate Deanna Young, Psy.D. In this session, the group discusses the article “A Mentalizing Approach for Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Moving From ‘Me-Mode’ to ‘We-Mode’” (Choi-Kain, Simonsen, & Euler, 2022), which explores how Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) can be applied to the treatment of narcissistic personality disorder. The paper argues that many of the challenges clinicians encounter when working with narcissistic patients can be understood through the lens of attachment, mentalization, and epistemic trust. Rather than viewing narcissistic pathology primarily as a problem of entitlement, grandiosity, or lack of empathy, the authors conceptualize it as a disturbance in the capacity to understand oneself and others in psychological terms and to learn from emotionally meaningful relationships. The discussion explores the article’s central proposal that treatment involves helping patients move from a self-focused “me-mode” toward a more collaborative “we-mode,” in which multiple perspectives can be held in mind simultaneously. Particular attention is given to the ways in which narcissistic adaptations interfere with trust, intimacy, and therapeutic engagement. Along the way, the conversation examines several key MBT concepts, including: * Epistemic trust and distrust * Nonmentalizing modes, including pretend mode, psychic equivalence, and teleological thinking * Marked contingent mirroring * The therapeutic alliance as a vehicle for psychological change * Why confrontation and pressure for change can sometimes reinforce narcissistic defenses rather than weaken them The discussion also considers the broader cultural discourse surrounding narcissism and contrasts popular approaches that emphasize accountability, confrontation, and labeling with psychodynamic and attachment-based approaches that emphasize understanding, curiosity, and the gradual development of trust. Finally, the group reflects on the practical realities of psychotherapy with narcissistic patients, including the pressures created by partners and family members seeking rapid change, the tendency for therapists to become caught in power struggles, and the challenge of maintaining a mentalizing stance in the face of difficult interpersonal dynamics. Key themes include: * Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT) and narcissistic personality disorder * Attachment theory and personality pathology * Epistemic trust as a foundation for psychological growth * The relationship between vulnerability and grandiosity * Nonmentalizing modes of experience * The role of empathy, curiosity, and validation in treatment * Clinical challenges in working with narcissistic patients This series is intended for clinicians, trainees, and viewers seeking a nuanced, clinically grounded understanding of narcissism beyond popular discourse. To learn more about our work, visit: www.HealNPD.org Additional Resources: Newsletter: https://healnpd.substack.com Assessment and therapy inquiries: https://healnpd.org/contact Purchase Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life: https://amzn.to/3nG9FgH SUBSCRIBE: https://rb.gy/kbhusf LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://rb.gy/cklpum LISTEN ON AMAZON MUSIC: https://rb.gy/g4yzh8 Citation: Choi-Kain, L. W., Simonsen, S., & Euler, S. (2022). A Mentalizing Approach for Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Moving From “Me-Mode” to “We-Mode.” American Journal of Psychotherapy, 75(1), 38–43. Full text link: https://www.psychiatryonline.org/doi/epdf/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20210017
Moving from 'Me' to 'We': Mentalization-Based Treatment & Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Elsa's powers in Frozen symbolize her deep emotions—fear, grief, anger. Taught to suppress feelings, her 'conceal, don't feel' mantra hides turmoil until it erupts. #Elsa #Frozen #Repression #EmotionalHealth #Psychology
Elsa's Repression: Disney's 'Frozen' Explains Emotional Control #shorts
Link to episode 1 in this series, on psychotic-level NPD: https://youtu.be/IoxUCbNUJUE Link to episode 2 in this series, on borderline-level NPD: https://youtu.be/Oz-C503q_9Y Link to part 1 of episode 3 in this series: https://youtu.be/vUsnambadIE Link to part 2 of episode 3 in this series: https://youtu.be/xD8PQxf1flI This is the third part of a three-part exploration of narcissistic personality style at the neurotic level of personality organization. In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn examines the defensive architecture of neurotic-level narcissism, including the characteristic defenses that allow individuals to manage conflict, preserve relationships, and maintain self-esteem without resorting to the identity fragmentation or reality distortion seen at more severe levels of personality organization. Drawing on the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scale (DMRS), this episode explores obsessional defenses such as isolation of affect, intellectualization, and undoing, as well as neurotic defenses including repression, reaction formation, and displacement. Through clinical examples, personal reflections, and portrayals from film and literature, Dr. Ettensohn illustrates how these defenses shape emotional experience, interpersonal relationships, and the therapeutic process. The episode also examines how narcissistic concerns manifest at the neurotic level, including struggles with self-worth, dependency, vulnerability, perfectionism, and grief. Particular attention is given to transference, countertransference, and the unique opportunities and challenges that emerge in psychotherapy with neurotic-level narcissistic personalities. While neurotic-level functioning represents a profound developmental achievement, it also introduces new emotional realities. As the capacity for integration grows, so too does the capacity to experience loss, guilt, limitation, and sorrow. The movement toward greater psychological health is not the elimination of suffering, but the ability to bear it without abandoning oneself or others. Additional Resources Website: https://healnpd.org Newsletter: https://healnpd.substack.com Purchase Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life: https://amzn.to/3nG9FgH SUBSCRIBE: https://rb.gy/kbhusf LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://rb.gy/cklpum LISTEN ON GOOGLE PODCASTS: https://rb.gy/fotpca LISTEN ON AMAZON MUSIC: https://rb.gy/g4yzh8 BECOME A MEMBER: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHeT5kujD1JqHRAi-x8xD-w/join About Heal NPD Heal NPD is a clinical practice specializing in the assessment and treatment of pathological narcissism, narcissistic personality disorder, and related personality difficulties. We offer comprehensive diagnostic assessments, individual psychotherapy, and consultations for partners and family members. Learn more or inquire about services: https://healnpd.org
The Birth of Sorrow | Part 3: Conflict and Defense in Neurotic-Level Narcissism
In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines the experience of emptiness in narcissistic personality disorder and other forms of personality pathology. Rather than approaching personality disorders as collections of traits or behaviors, the episode frames them as disturbances in identity. Dr. Ettensohn outlines how the sense of self is constructed through early relational experience and how disruptions in that process can lead to unstable, fragmented, or underdeveloped self-experience. The discussion focuses on the role of dissociation and splitting in shaping identity, and how different self-states may become organized around incompatible relational experiences. In this context, emptiness is not simply a feeling, but reflects aspects of the self that were never fully recognized, mirrored, or integrated in development. Dr. Ettensohn also addresses a common misunderstanding in public discourse, where narcissism is equated with observable traits such as arrogance or entitlement. He explains why these descriptions capture only one part of a broader system involving both grandiose and vulnerable states, and how focusing solely on behavior obscures the underlying psychological structure. The episode concludes with a discussion of clinical implications, emphasizing why treatments that focus only on behavior often fall short, and why effective work with narcissistic pathology requires attention to identity, relational process, and the integration of dissociated aspects of self-experience. Additional Resources Website: https://healnpd.org Newsletter: https://healnpd.substack.com Purchase Unmasking Narcissism: A Guide to Understanding the Narcissist in Your Life: https://amzn.to/3nG9FgH SUBSCRIBE: https://rb.gy/kbhusf LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://rb.gy/cklpum LISTEN ON GOOGLE PODCASTS: https://rb.gy/fotpca LISTEN ON AMAZON MUSIC: https://rb.gy/g4yzh8 BECOME A MEMBER: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHeT5kujD1JqHRAi-x8xD-w/join About Heal NPD Heal NPD is a clinical practice specializing in the assessment and treatment of pathological narcissism, narcissistic personality disorder, and related personality difficulties. We offer comprehensive diagnostic assessments, individual psychotherapy, and consultations for partners and family members. Learn more or inquire about services: https://healnpd.org
Internal Absence: Emptiness in NPD
The allure of clear-cut labels—like 'narc abuse'—can feel comforting, reducing complex histories and feelings into definitive answers. But what happens when ambiguity is stripped away? #ComplexIdentity #EmotionalClarity #SelfDiscovery #Psychology Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/rir6Cs0Y7Ek
Understanding Narcissistic Abuse: Clarity Over Complexity #shorts
NPD diagnosis criteria: 'Exploitative' doesn't mean every individual is. It's a population-level likelihood. Remember, only 5 of 9 criteria are needed, and the DSM misses a significant part of the disorder. #NPD #MentalHealth #PsychologyFacts #Diagnosis #DSM Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/rir6Cs0Y7Ek
NPD Criteria: Understanding Exploitation & Empathy #shorts
Current critique highlights DSM model's inadequacy, failing to capture grandiose and vulnerable traits. This distortion neglects crucial aspects like self-esteem collapse and depression, vital for empathic understanding. #DSM #Psychology #MentalHealth #Disorder #Clinical Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/rir6Cs0Y7Ek
DSM Model Critique: Grandiose & Vulnerable Themes Explored #shorts
Pathological narcissism isn't just grandiosity; it's a deeply dysregulated system. Understand the fluctuations between arrogance and collapse that define this mental health condition. #Narcissism #MentalHealth #Psychology #Dysregulation #Grandiosity Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/rir6Cs0Y7Ek
Narcissism: Grandiosity vs. Dysregulated System Explained #shorts
The DSM focuses on grandiosity, missing the crucial dysregulation component. Shockingly, in a recent study 70% of described cases show both grandiose and vulnerable themes. #DSM #MentalHealth #Psychology #Grandiosity #Vulnerability Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/rir6Cs0Y7Ek
DSM's Grandiosity Flaw: The Hidden Vulnerable Side #shorts
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