The Truth About Narcissism: Dr. Jaime Zuckerman on Abuse, Gaslighting & Healing (The Velvet)
Velvet's Edge with Kelly Henderson
iHeartPodcasts
4.5 • 927 Ratings
🗓️ 27 August 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Licensed clinical psychologist and relationship coach Dr. Jaime Zuckerman (Dr. Z) unpacks today’s cultural obsession with narcissism and explains why the term has become one of the most overused buzzwords of modern psychology. She clarifies the difference between narcissistic traits and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), offering insight into the clinical reality behind the label.
The episode explores the insidious nature of narcissistic abuse—how confusion, gaslighting, and trauma bonding can leave victims doubting themselves long after the relationship ends. Dr. Z discusses who may be more susceptible to these dynamics, the connection between narcissism and addiction, and the psychological mechanisms that keep people stuck in toxic relationships.
Practical strategies for recovery and healing are also addressed, including reclaiming boundaries, rebuilding self-trust, and taking back personal power. This conversation provides clarity for anyone seeking to understand narcissism more deeply and insight for those navigating the lasting impact of narcissistic abuse.
Website: drjaimezuckerman.com
Podcast: Next Up Narcissism
Socials: @dr.z_psychologist
Check out Dr. Z's Books HERE!
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Email us: theedge@velvetsedge.com
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HOSTS:
Kelly Henderson // @velvetsedge // velvetsedge.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:15.4 | Dr. Jamie Zuckerman, also known as Dr. Z, is a licensed clinical psychologist and |
| 0:20.7 | relationship coach specializing |
| 0:22.8 | in narcissistic abuse. Hi, Dr. Z. Hi, how are you? I'm good. I was just saying to you, it's so weird |
| 0:29.6 | because I've been following you for years on Instagram. So I feel like I know you. Like when you got on, |
| 0:33.4 | I was like, oh, hey. I'm like, how are you doing? I wanted to you, though, because obviously you have a ton of credentials, but you've now |
| 0:41.6 | narrowed it down to focus specifically on narcissistic abuse. |
| 0:45.8 | Was there some catalyst that made you go in this direction? |
| 0:49.5 | Yeah. |
| 0:49.9 | So great question. |
| 0:51.2 | I always get to ask this question. |
| 0:52.4 | So there were two main things. |
| 0:54.5 | The first was when I went into private practice many, many moons ago, I started seeing this pattern. |
| 1:01.6 | I saw mostly women, but men too. |
| 1:03.6 | But I was seeing a lot of women coming in with, you know, they'd say they had anxiety or depression. |
| 1:08.6 | But as we started working on it, it really wasn't |
| 1:12.2 | that. And it was really that they were in these narcissistic abusive, either intimate relationships |
| 1:17.7 | or family relationships, even friendship or coworkers. And nobody knew how to identify it. Nobody knew |
| 1:25.4 | what it was. It was so confusing to even begin to talk about. |
| 1:29.9 | And so I realized very quickly that there really were very few resources clinically for people |
| 1:36.5 | that were in these relationships. And so it kind of stemmed from that. And I, you know, |
| 1:41.8 | and I always say for when I was in graduate school, we didn't really |
... |
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