The belittling continued until Thompson hit puberty and grew breasts.
Then her stepfather stopped speaking to her at all.
He told my mother he knew that stepdaughters often accuse their stepfathers ofsexually abusingthem, she says.
Kevin Kozicki/Getty Images
He didnt want to speak to me to give me any ideas.
Her mother only made things worse.
She took his side no matter what crazy accusation he laid against me, Thompson says.
Thompsons mother also isolated her from people outside the family.
Narcissism “becomes diagnosable when it interferes with an individual’s level of functioning, Duffy says.
Theres actually a term for how this plays out.
A commenter led her to a website dedicated to daughters with narcissistic mothers.
I followed the link and I was shocked, she recalls.
Four years ago, the group had just 50 members.
Today, it often welcomes more than 200 new members in a given 24 hours, according to Thompson.
Thats exactly what Thompson found when she joined raisedbynarcissists.
But, as the popular community shows, thats not the case.
There are currently around 160,000 members in the group.
Both Duffy and Bash caution anyone from using an online forum as their single source of healing.
Through this work, they can derive tools for managing their relationship with their difficult parent.
Its easy to understand why children of narcissistic parents often benefit fromtherapy.
Both Thompson and Williams have sought therapists help throughout their lives.
As it turns out, therapy and online forums like raisedbynarcissists can work together wonderfully to help someone heal.
Thompson says raisedbynarcissists often reinforces the skills she learned in her therapy sessions.
When Jones was in her twenties, she began attending classes at a local community college.
But her mother soon sabotaged her efforts to earn a higher education.
She hid my books so I couldn’t do my homework.
She told me that school was beyond my intellect.
And this is something many narcissists cant let happen.
There is a huge family hole because of her narcissism.
Some posters in the subreddit are teenagers just trying to make it through until they can leave home.
Since these people may still be in touch with their parents/families, it’s crucial that they remain anonymous.
Its its own form of support and safety.
The anonymity inspires honest interaction, aid, and kindness.
I no longer feel lost or crazy, as myfamilymade me feel, she says.
Thompson has also grown through the group.
But even more than that, raisedbynarcissists gives my nightmarish childhood meaning, she says.
Working here and helping other survivors gives it meaning.
I can help other people who have also survived this kind of abusebecause I survived it, too.
*Names have been changed to protect the identities of sources.
