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The Reflection Method

Narcissistic abuse recovery: the blog series

11 full articles, written to be read in order. Each one is the complete show notes of an episode of The Reflection Method, with its own examples, phrases to watch for, and something to try this week. You can also read the recovery overview first.

Start here

  1. Part 1 · August 4, 2026 · Episode 1

    Green flags are boring on purpose

    What safety actually looks like, so you have a baseline to compare against.

Name it

  1. Part 2 · August 11, 2026 · Episode 2

    What gaslighting actually sounds like

    The exact phrases that rewrite your memory, and how to keep a record.

  2. Part 3 · September 1, 2026 · Episode 9

    Narcissistic behavior as a predatory pattern: targeting, testing, extraction

    Targeting, testing and extraction — the pattern underneath the behaviour.

Understand the pull

  1. Part 4 · August 28, 2026 · Episode 6

    Intermittent reinforcement: hot, then cold, then hot again

    Why hot-and-cold treatment is more addictive than steady warmth.

  2. Part 5 · August 27, 2026 · Episode 5

    Trauma bonding: the pull you can't explain

    The attachment that survives the harm, and why leaving feels impossible.

The discard

  1. Part 6 · September 1, 2026 · Episode 8

    Pre-discard: when the story gets rewritten before you're gone

    How the story about you gets rewritten before you're gone.

  2. Part 7 · August 18, 2026 · Episode 3

    The week after the discard

    The first seven days: no contact, hoovering, and getting through the nights.

  3. Part 8 · August 25, 2026 · Episode 4

    Grief that doesn't look like grief

    Mourning a person who was partly a performance.

Other people

  1. Part 9 · August 29, 2026 · Episode 7

    Flying monkeys and enablers: the people in the middle

    The people in the middle, and scripts for handling them.

  2. Part 10 · September 2, 2026 · Episode 11

    The smear campaign: when the story about you travels without you

    What to do when the story about you travels without you.

Rebuild

  1. Part 11 · September 1, 2026 · Episode 10

    Post-discard: rebuilding identity, redefining reality, reclaiming self

    Reclaiming reality, identity and self-worth after betrayal.

If you need support right now

This series is educational, not clinical. If you feel unsafe, start with crisis support and hotlines or build a personal safety plan.