Narcissistic abusers are master storytellers. They rewrite the past, distort events, and cast themselves as the hero while the survivor becomes the villain. Survivors often internalize these distorted narratives, leaving therapy with fragmented or self-blaming stories.
Why Narrative Matters
Story shapes identity. When survivors adopt the abuser’s narrative, they lose connection to their authentic self. As psychotherapists, it’s crucial to help clients reclaim their own story.
Clinical Applications
1. Narrative Therapy – Invite clients to write their story in their own words, without minimizing or apologizing for the abuse.
2. Externalization – Teach clients to view the abuser’s version as manipulation, not truth.
3. Identity Reclamation – Guide survivors to rediscover who they were before the abuse.
Training Note
In supervision, emphasize to new therapists that the goal is not to replace one “correct” story with another. It is to empower survivors to own their truth and silence the false scripts of abuse.
Closing
When survivors rewrite their story, they transform from “victim of abuse” into “author of survival.”
👉 At Soteldo Psychotherapy Clinic, we train psychotherapists to use narrative work as a powerful intervention in trauma recovery.
