Most people think avoidance means fear of intimacy. But in narcissistic relationships, avoidance is often a learned response to emotional punishment. Many people enter these relationships open, communicative, and secure. What changes them is not commitment, it is repeated emotional instability. Here is how it happens. 1️⃣ Your needs are met with dismissal. For example, you express a concern and are told you are too sensitive, dramatic, or asking for too much. Why it matters, when vulnerability i

Are you surviving a relationship where there’s a push-pull around intimacy or outright avoidance? This week on the Breaking Free from Narcissistic Abuse podcast, Gary Katz shares why narcissists and other emotionally avoidant people keep you at arms length. Listen on your favorite podcast app or watch on YouTube (same handle as here). #intimacy #unavailable #toxicrelationship #betrayal #secrets | Kerry McAvoy, PhD