PODCAST · science
Heal NPD
by Mark Ettensohn, Psy.D.
Dr. Mark Ettensohn shares his perspectives as a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of narcissism and related disorders.
Episodes
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Annihilation Anxiety: The Hidden Conflict in Personality Disorders
In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn explores the concept of annihilation anxiety and its role in narcissistic pathology and other personality disorders. Beginning with a clinical vignette involving childhood emotional and physical abuse, the episode examines what can happen when a child’s…
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If We Talked About Depression the Way We Talk About NPD
In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn asks a simple question: What would happen if we talked about depression the way we currently talk about narcissism? Through a thought experiment, the episode imagines an alternate reality in which depression has become the focus of the same kind of online...
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What Narcissistic Self-Esteem REALLY Looks Like
In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines what self-esteem actually looks like in pathological narcissism and why common explanations such as “low self-esteem hidden beneath grandiosity” or “grandiosity masking shame” oversimplify a much more complicated psychological process. The episode…
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The Circular Logic of Narc Abuse Content
In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines the circular logic that often appears in popular “narcissistic abuse” discourse and how it can create a closed system for interpreting other people’s behavior. The episode begins with a pattern Dr. Ettensohn has repeatedly encountered online: once...
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Why Every Abuser Looks Like A 'Narcissist'
In this follow-up to a previous episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines a central problem in the way narcissism is commonly discussed online: the assumption that abusive behavior is sufficient evidence of narcissism. The episode argues that this conclusion arises, in part, from a longstanding…
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Dr. Ramani Says 'Narcissism' Isn't A Diagnosis. I Agree
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...
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The Truth About Narcissism and Trauma
Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines the common claim that personality disorders such as narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are either caused by trauma or are primarily genetic. He argues that this framing presents a false dichotomy and does not reflect how personality development is understood in...
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My Problem with 'Narcissistic Abuse'
Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines the concept of “narcissistic abuse” and explains why he no longer considers it a coherent psychological construct. Using the comment from a viewer as a starting point, the discussion explores a common misconception: that skepticism toward the concept of narcissistic...
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Moving From Me to We: Mentalization-Based Treatment of NPD
This episode 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),...
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The Birth of Sorrow | Part 3: Conflict and Defense In Neurotic-Level Narcissism
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...
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Internal Absence: Emptiness in NPD
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…
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Living with Pathological Narcissism: What Loved Ones Reveal
This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series with Dr. Mark Ettensohn, joined by his associates Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, Ph.D. In this session, the group discusses the paper “Living with Pathological Narcissism: A Qualitative Study” (Day et al., 2020), which examines...
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The DSM's New Model of Personality Disorders: The Good, The Bad, and What's Missing
This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series with Dr. Mark Ettensohn, joined by his associates Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, Ph.D. In this session, the group examines the Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), a dimensional framework introduced in Section III…
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Narcissism Is Not a Moral Category
Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines a growing tendency in public discourse to treat narcissism as a moral category rather than as a psychological construct. The episode explores why this shift occurs and how misunderstandings about the nature of mental illness contribute to it. While many people...
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Accountability Without Dehumanization
Dr. Mark Ettensohn addresses a question that frequently arises in discussions of narcissism and abuse: Is it possible to maintain accountability without dehumanizing? Can someone preserve firm boundaries without abandoning empathy? Dr. Ettensohn clarifies a distinction he often sees…
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2025 Study: Narcissism Does Not Predict Abuse
This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series with Dr. Mark Ettensohn, joined by his associates Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, M.A. In this session, the group examines a recent empirical study titled Coercive Control and Intimate Partner Violence: Relationship with Personality...
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The Ethics of Narc-Abuse Content: Why 'It Helps' Isn't Enough
In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn examines a common defense of online “narcissistic abuse” content: the claim that, even if imperfect or inaccurate, it ultimately helps people leave harmful relationships. Rather than focusing on whether such content feels validating or empowering, Dr. Ettensohn...
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From Validation to Isolation: The Narc-Abuse Pipeline
In this video, Dr. Ettensohn examines the online narc-abuse ecosystem and explores how content that initially feels validating and supportive can, over time, become thought-constraining and socially isolating for some viewers. Drawing on clinical experience and established research on high-demand...
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Understanding Empathy in Narcissistic Personality Disorder
This video continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series, featuring Dr. Mark Ettensohn with his associates, Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, M.A. In this session, the group discusses Empathy and Narcissistic Personality Disorder: From Clinical and Empirical Perspectives (2014), examining the...
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Narcissism and Suicide Risk: The Hidden Side of NPD
This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series, featuring Dr. Mark Ettensohn and his associates, Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, M.A. I n this session, the group discusses a recent meta-analytic review examining suicide-related outcomes in narcissistic personality functioning. The...
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What About Narcissists Who Had a Happy Childhood?
In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn responds to a common question: How can someone with a perfectly normal and mostly happy childhood develop narcissistic personality disorder? The discussion challenges the widespread misconception that narcissism is simply a personality type, a collection of...
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Seminar Series 3: Beyond Traits - The Relational roots of NPD
This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series, featuring Dr. Mark Ettensohn and his associates, Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, M.A. In this session, the group discusses Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Progress in Understanding and Treatment by Igor Weinberg, Ph.D., and Elsa...
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Seminar Series 2: Rupture and Repair - Principles of Treatment for NPD
This episode continues the Heal NPD Seminar Series, featuring Dr. Mark Ettensohn and his associates, Deanna Young, Psy.D., and Danté Spencer, M.A. In this session, the group discusses Principles of Psychodynamic Treatment for Patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder by Holly Crisp, M.D.…
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It's Time We Discarded The Myth of "The Narcissist"
In this episode, Dr. Mark Ettensohn challenges one of the most persistent distortions in contemporary discourse on narcissism: the myth of “the narcissist.” He explains how this cultural archetype, an image of coldness, cruelty, and manipulation, has eclipsed legitimate clinical understanding of...
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Seminar Series 1: Defining Pathological Narcissism - The Criterion Problem
This episode marks the beginning of a new educational series from Heal NPD, featuring Dr. Mark Ettensohn and his associates: Deanna Young, Psy.D. and Danté Spencer, MA. This series offers a rare window into clinical reasoning and supervision, bringing viewers inside real discussions about theory,...
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From Ideal to Real: Lessons From My Father
Dr. Ettensohn reflects on the recent loss of his father. Drawing on both clinical theory and personal experience, he explores how children internalize idealized images of caregivers as a source of safety and reassurance during times of vulnerability. This episode examines how these idealizations...
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Dissociation is Key: Linking Splitting, DID, BPD, and NPD
Dr. Ettensohn expands on his recent episode exploring splitting as a dissociative process. Drawing from clinical experience and developmental theory, he addresses a common question: What’s the difference between splitting, identity diffusion, and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)? Rather than...
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What If Splitting Is Dissociation? A New Way to Understand Narcissism
In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn offers a groundbreaking perspective on one of the most misunderstood features of pathological narcissism: splitting. Drawing from the work of Philip Bromberg and his own clinical practice, Dr. Ettensohn reframes splitting not as black-and-white thinking, but as a...
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Signs You're Trapped in a False Self
In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn explores subtle signs of false self experiencing. Drawing from clinical work and developmental theory, he reflects on how early relational demands can lead individuals to organize their identity around performance, compliance, or emotional suppression. The...
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What Narcissism Isn't: Clearing Up the Confusion
In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn addresses widespread misconceptions about narcissism by clarifying what the term does not mean. Drawing on clinical examples and years of engagement with public discourse, he explores how the label “narcissist” has become a cultural catch-all for behaviors…
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Live with Dr. Ettensohn 6-12-25
Join Dr. Mark Ettensohn from Heal NPD for a live broadcast answering questions and responding to viewer comments.
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Do Narcissists *Really* Lack Empathy?
What does it mean to say that narcissists lack empathy? In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn challenges the common assumption that low empathy is a fixed trait in narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Drawing from psychoanalytic theory and clinical observation, he explores how empathy in NPD...
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Weekly Insights: Is Narcissism the New Moral Panic?
In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn examines the rise of moral panic within contemporary discourse about narcissism, particularly how popular online narratives have transformed psychological terms into tools of moral judgment. In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn examines the rise of moral…
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The Birth of Sorrow | Part 2: Emotional Life in Neurotic-Level Narcissism
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 This is the third episode of a four-episode…
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The Birth of Sorrow | Part 1: Crossing into Neurotic-Level Narcissism
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 This is the third episode of a four-episode series describing the narcissistic personality style across different levels…
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Weekly Insights: The Myth of Hardwired Narcissism
In this video, Dr. Ettensohn examines the growing claim that Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is almost entirely genetic, offering a critical, clinically grounded reflection on what the current science actually supports—and where it falls short. He discusses how genetic contributions to...
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Weekly Insights: Healing Without a Therapist
In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn shares an adapted preview from his upcoming video on narcissism at the neurotic level of personality organization. He reflects on what it means to move toward psychological integration, emotional complexity, and the capacity for self-reflection - especially…
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Weekly Insights: It Feels Real...But It's Not - Grandiosity in NPD
In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn explores the nature of grandiosity in pathological narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), emphasizing that grandiose self-states are distortions that mask underlying vulnerability. He examines how these states emerge, why they are so...
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Weekly Insights: The Hidden Fear Behind NPD - Being Ordinary
In this Weekly Insight, Dr. Ettensohn explores the deep existential conflict at the heart of pathological narcissism and NPD: the fear of being ordinary. Drawing from a recent presentation by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Salman Akhtar, he examines how the pressure to be...
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Weekly Insight: Do Narcissists Seek Therapy?
In this weekly insight, Dr. Ettensohn addresses the common misconception that individuals with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) never seek therapy—and the even more misleading idea that simply wondering whether you have NPD means that you don’t. This episode explores the origins of these...
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Weekly Insights: The Cycle of Narcissistic Dehumanization
The "Weekly Insights" series is for paid members of Dr. Ettensohn's Heal NPD Youtube channel. In the short-term, Dr. Ettensohn is posting all even-numbered episodes free of charge. If you would like access to the full series, please follow this link:...
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Weekly Insights: Reflections on Dichotomous Thinking
The "Weekly Insights" series is for paid members of Dr. Ettensohn's Heal NPD Youtube channel. In the short-term, Dr. Ettensohn is posting all even-numbered episodes free of charge. If you would like access to the full series, please follow this link:...
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Weekly Insights: Narcissism vs. Self Love: Understanding the Difference
The "Weekly Insights" series is for paid members of Dr. Ettensohn's Heal NPD Youtube channel. In the short-term, Dr. Ettensohn is posting all even-numbered episodes free of charge. If you would like access to the full series, please follow this link:...
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Weekly Insights: Try This Instead of Gratitude
The "Weekly Insights" series is for paid members of Dr. Ettensohn's Heal NPD Youtube channel. In the short-term, Dr. Ettensohn is posting all even-numbered episodes free of charge. If you would like access to the full series, please follow this link:...
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The False Self: A Tragic Survival Strategy
In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn explores the insights of Alice Miller regarding emotional abandonment and narcissistic use of the child, focusing on how these early dynamics shape pathological narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Drawing from Miller’s groundbreaking work, Dr....
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Without Emotional Skin: Understanding Borderline-Level NPD
In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn draws on psychodynamic dimensional models of personality development to describe narcissism and NPD at the borderline level. Characterized by identity diffusion, blurred boundaries, and disrupted internal experience, borderline personality organization represents an...
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Live with Dr. Ettensohn 7-25-24
Dr. Mark Ettensohn answers questions and responds to viewer comments in a livestream broadcast from 7-25-24.
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A Nameless Dread: Understanding Psychotic-Level NPD
In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn draws on psychodynamic dimensional models of personality development to describe narcissism and NPD at the psychotic level. Characterized by compromised reality testing, symbiotic object relations, low integration between parts of the self, and the use of...
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Live with Dr. Ettensohn 4-26-24
Dr. Mark Ettensohn answers questions and responds to viewer comments in a livestream broadcast from 4-26-24.
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Live with Dr. Ettensohn 3-14-2024
Dr. Ettensohn answers listener questions and responds to comments in a livestream broadcast from 3-14-24.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Heal NPD have?
Heal NPD currently has 71 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Heal NPD about?
Dr. Mark Ettensohn shares his perspectives as a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of narcissism and related disorders.
How often does Heal NPD release new episodes?
Heal NPD has 71 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Heal NPD?
You can listen to Heal NPD on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Heal NPD?
Heal NPD is created and hosted by Mark Ettensohn, Psy.D..
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