322 – Summer Series: Narcissistic Abuse Explained with Caroline Strawson

Jul 7

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Episode Summary

Sometimes, it takes losing everything you know to begin the journey of healing.

In this episode, I’m joined by Caroline Strawson, an internationally recognized trauma-informed therapist and coach who helps people recover from narcissistic abuse and complex PTSD. Caroline’s own healing journey began after a devastating season of loss. In a short period of time, her mother passed away, her narcissistic husband left her and their two young children, and she discovered he had created $100,000 of debt, which led to the loss of her home and the life she had built.

Facing PTSD, anxiety, depression, self-harm, guilt, and shame, Caroline began turning inward. She started looking at her life, her relationships, her childhood wounds, and the patterns that had kept her stuck. Through her own healing, she became a powerful voice in trauma-informed recovery and healing from abuse.

In this conversation, Caroline shares how she finally recognized the abuse, what helped her begin healing, and why narcissistic abuse can be so difficult to leave. We talk about how childhood wounding forms, how the nervous system creates protector parts to keep us safe, and how those protective patterns can show up later as codependency, narcissism, or unhealthy relationship dynamics.

Caroline also explains the difference between PTSD and complex PTSD, why codependents and narcissists can feel magnetized to each other, and how we can have compassion for wounded people without accepting abuse.

Whether you have been in a relationship with a narcissist or simply want to better understand trauma, attachment wounds, and why you do what you do, this episode will help you understand what is happening in the brain and body and how healing can begin.

Key Takeaways:

Narcissistic abuse can deeply affect self-worth, identity, safety, and emotional well-being
Childhood wounding and trauma can shape the way we relate to ourselves and others
The nervous system creates protective patterns to help us survive
Protector parts may show up as codependency, people-pleasing, control, avoidance, or narcissistic traits
Codependents and narcissists can feel drawn to each other because of complementary wounds and patterns
It is possible to feel compassion for a wounded person without accepting abuse
Many people stay in abusive relationships because of trauma bonds, fear, shame, guilt, and nervous system conditioning
Supporting a friend in an abusive relationship requires compassion, patience, and safety
PTSD and complex PTSD are different, and complex PTSD often comes from prolonged or repeated trauma
Building self-worth can begin even while someone is still in an abusive relationship
Trauma-informed healing helps us understand what is happening in the brain, body, and nervous system
Healing begins when we turn inward, reconnect with ourselves, and start building safety within

Complex PTSD

Complex PTSD, or complex post-traumatic stress, can develop after prolonged, repeated, or ongoing trauma, especially when the trauma happens in relationships where safety, trust, and attachment are impacted. Unlike a single traumatic event, complex PTSD is often connected to long-term emotional abuse, childhood wounding, neglect, narcissistic abuse, or repeated experiences of fear, shame, and powerlessness.

Related Episodes

You may also enjoy:
512: Narcissism Explained
514: Moving On After Hurt
296: How Self-Validation Will Change Your Life

Resources:

Caroline Strawson Website

https://www.carolinestrawson.com/

Caroline Strawson Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/carolinestrawson/

Caroline Strawson Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/carolinestrawson/

“Divorce Became My Superpower” (Caroline Strawson Book)

https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Became-Superpower-Caroline-Strawson/dp/1726255549

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