The Stealthy Danger Of The Covert Narcissist
Trauma & Narcissism Redefined
Caroline Strawson
4.8 • 701 Ratings
🗓️ 17 June 2025
⏱️ 19 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
In this episode, we shine a light on one of the most misunderstood forms of narcissistic abuse……..the covert narcissist.Unlike the loud, arrogant narcissist that many imagine, the covert narcissist operates in far more subtle and insidious ways. They may seem shy, quiet, or even vulnerable to the outside world but behind closed doors, the manipulation runs deep.In this episode, I explore:• What makes covert narcissistic abuse so hard to identify• Why survivors often doubt themselves and struggle to explain what’s happening• How covert narcissists use guilt, shame, victimhood, and passive aggression to control• The impact this has on your nervous system, your confidence, and your sense of self• The signs to look for if you think you’re dealing with oneWhether you're beginning to question your relationship or you've already escaped and are rebuilding, this episode will give you the clarity and validation you need.Understanding covert narcissism is a crucial step in healing because once you can name it, you can begin to untangle from it. Don’t ever be alone in your journey and make sure you come and join my private Facebook community, No Visible Bruises where you can connect with other survivors of narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/novisiblebruises.
Disclaimer:The views and opinions shared in this podcast are those of the individuals involved and are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They do not substitute professional or medical advice. If you’ve been affected by anything discussed in today’s episode, please consider reaching out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional for support. You’re not alone, and help is always available.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to No Visible Bruises, the podcast that shares real-life survivor stories of narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control from a physiology first and nervous system perspective, because you can't think your way out of this. You need to feel to heal. I'm Caroline Strawson, a survivor myself and now a trauma expert and educator. |
| 0:25.0 | I am here to create change and understanding of the unseen abuse that we are not taught about |
| 0:30.9 | in schools and to heal from the inside out at a nervous system level. |
| 0:36.0 | Let's break the silence and change the narrative because we heal |
| 0:40.5 | together. Massive welcome to No Visible Bruises, your podcast sharing survivor stories of narcissistic |
| 0:53.7 | abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control. |
| 0:56.7 | So in this episode, I'm talking about covert narcissists. This was a type of narcissist I'd |
| 1:02.6 | never heard of. I didn't understand. And I think it's a really, really important one to share. |
| 1:07.6 | And the reason why I'm sharing this is because my ex-husband was a covert narcissist, |
| 1:11.8 | and I never even knew I'd been in an abusive relationship. Now, I hope you're enjoying all of our |
| 1:16.6 | amazing podcast episodes as part of No Visible Bruises, where we're bringing you Survivor Story |
| 1:22.2 | interviews, those who've experienced narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse, and coercive control. |
| 1:26.7 | But I also had many of you |
| 1:28.0 | saying you miss some of these kind of educational ones as well. So I'm going to be kind of throwing in a |
| 1:32.8 | couple of these each month too, just to kind of keep that educational piece for you, to give you |
| 1:37.5 | that level of understanding. And any topics that you want me to talk about on those ones, do let me |
| 1:43.2 | know because I |
| 1:44.6 | am here to serve you guys. Because I know what it's like. I've been exactly where you are and you'll |
| 1:49.6 | have heard on a couple of episodes ago where I shared my own survivor story or a snippet of that because |
| 1:54.7 | we know it could be here for hours, couldn't be talking about our experiences there. But I want |
| 1:59.7 | you to know, I know what it's like. |
| 2:01.1 | You know, I am sat here as a fellow survivor, but equally also trained in this area as a trauma |
... |
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