87: Reclaiming Your Life After Narcissistic Abuse: Healing from Betrayal, Infidelity, and Emotional Trauma

Welcome to episode, "87: Reclaiming Your Life After Narcissistic Abuse: Healing from Betrayal, Infidelity, and Emotional Trauma" with Katie Ziskind, LMFT, Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional, Gottman Level Two Marriage Specialist. We discuss the aftermath of leaving a 25 or 30 year marriage to a spouse with narcissistic personality disorder. If you’ve recently emerged from a long-term marriage with a narcissistic partner, you may be feeling like the ground beneath you is still shaky, your confidence is shattered, and the woman you once were has been lost in the shadows of years of emotional and psychological abuse. Maybe, you’re newly divorced after 20 to 25 years of enduring gaslighting, love bombing, crazy-making, explosive anger, and relentless cheating from your narcissistic spouse. You’re probably feeling exhausted from constantly being blamed and shamed — not just by him, but also by some therapists you’ve sought help from who didn’t understand your situation. We know that leaving a narcissistic partner, especially after decades of being stuck in their web, is a courageous, life-changing decision that deserves to be celebrated, not questioned or criticized. In counseling and coaching for narcissistic abuse recovery, you can feel understood, empowered, and supported on your journey to reclaiming your confidence, self-worth, and emotional well-being. Let’s talk about the healing journey you’re about to embark on and how working with our team of therapists can provide the specialized support and understanding you need to fully recover from narcissistic abuse. If you’ve ever been in a therapy session with a counselor who didn’t “get it,” you know how invalidating and frustrating that can feel. Narcissistic abuse is not like other forms of relationship dysfunction — it’s more insidious, more hidden, and deeply damaging to your sense of self. A narcissist is a master manipulator. They use gaslighting to make you doubt your own reality, love bombing to reel you in and keep you emotionally hooked, and crazy-making tactics that leave you feeling off-balance and questioning your sanity. Explosive anger, chronic infidelity, and cheating are are part of these emotional attacks leave scars, even if you can’t see them. All Things Love and Intimacy is your go-to podcast for deep, real conversations about navigating relationships, intimacy, and healing from trauma. Join Katie Ziskind, a licensed marriage and family therapist with expertise in sex therapy and couples counseling, as she explores topics like recovering from infidelity, overcoming sex and pornography addiction, healing from narcissistic abuse, and rebuilding emotional intimacy. Whether you’re dealing with high conflict fights, past trauma, or struggling to rekindle passion in your relationship, this podcast offers practical tools, compassion, and expert advice to help you create a secure, loving connection with your partner. Tune in for empowering discussions that get to the heart of what it means to love and be loved. Welcome to the “All Things Love and Intimacy” Podcast. I am your host, Katie Ziskind. I am so excited to share this episode with you! My mission is to help you feel more comfortable talking about emotional expression, gain emotional intimacy skills, and feel confident talking about your sexual needs, sexual expectations, erotic desires, and fantasies with your partner or partners. I love helping couples break cycles of emotional distance and sexual avoidance, heal after infidelity, and learn skills to develop emotional connection and rebuild sexual desire and sexual intimacy. I am a sex positive, LGBTQIA+, queer affirming relationship coach, certified sex therapy informed professional, and Gottman level two trained marriage specialist. You can build an emotionally secure, loving, playful, and passionate bond and healthy sex life by working with me at WisdomWithinCt.com.  This episode is no replacement for seeking professional help.