MARRIAGE VAMPIRE: LIVING WITH A NARCISSIST

Marriage Vampire: Living with a Narcissist addresses the issues Christian women may face when living with a narcissistic partner. This book shares insights into the complexities of behaviors, thinking, childhood formation, and personality characteristics of a narcissist. Clifton’s hope is to inform and educate individuals, pastors, churches, Christian therapists, or others addressing the impact of narcissism.
It’s easy to order a paperback or a Kindle eBook directly from Amazon. Click Here (or scan QR code below) to order.
Remember to order extra copies to share with friends, family, ministers, or church groups who may need the information.

Clifton has also written another book (for all audiences) called “The Narcissist: When Dreams Become Nightmares.”
Watch the video below about this coming publication (4 minutes)

Narcissists create surreal worlds full of constant upheaval, distrust, and destruction in order to feel powerful and control others. We must educate ourselves about the narcissistic personality so we can protect ourselves and our families from their damaging impact on our lives, our faith and our children.

Unlike fictional vampires, NPD-vampires do exist. Most people do not know about these personality disorders until they have been bitten by one, had their life energy drained away, their reality defined by lies or twisted truths, or even became convinced they were going crazy, even though it was the narcissist who really is the disorder.

The “Marriage Vampire: Living with a Narcissist” pulls back the curtain, revealing the sources of NPDs seductiveness and supposed power, to expose the narcissistic vampires for the weak people they genuinely are, these oysters who build shells in order to protect their internal defenseless egos.

A Narcissist seeks self-gratification, through an idealized image of self. Vanity, egotistic admiration, inflated self-image, and a desire for constant admiration tend to be characteristics. Narcissists lack empathy or compassion for others and are often so self-absorbed that nothing else matters if it interferes with their image of self or what they want. Narcissists can become threatening or even dangerous at times. They create their own ideas of who they are, even if it doesn’t really match their behaviors (such as telling lies, then saying they didn’t say what they said, or even believing or acting as if they believe, their lies. They may say something, but when confronted, will say they never said what listeners heard or simply ignore truth). They don’t accept responsibility for their behaviors but will place blame at the feet of another person.

Narcissists are especially effective at using the values of a person in order to manipulate them into doing what the NPD wants, even if goes against that person’s inner value system. They are especially effective at using actual Biblical verses, twisting the meanings, and pressuring women of faith to do what the NPD wants. They can convince a person not to trust themselves, their close friends or family, or their support groups.

The name “Narcissist” originated from Greek mythology legends, where an extraordinarily handsome young man, named Narcissus, fell in love with his own image when he saw it reflected in a pool of water. He was so drawn to the image that he could not leave the reflection.

Narcissism, as a pathological self-absorption characteristic, was first identified as a disorder in 1898 by Havelock Ellis and written about in psychological reports, including Freud's ‘On Narcissism’.

The APA (American Psychiatric Association) first listed the classification narcissistic personality disorder in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1968 and included the term megalomania.

All people have some self-centeredness, rationalization, or may try to avoid accountability of unacceptable behaviors. However, not all people who are selfish, self-centered or egotistical are narcissists, as everyone has some characteristics of being self-centered or uncaring at times.

The difference is that there are patterns, and extremes of behaviors, that determine the depth of narcissism. When consistent behaviors reflect certain extremes and repeated patterns, it may be a red-flag warning, a signal of the danger for those about to enter, or who are already in a relationship with a narcissist.

It’s important to educate ourselves, but also for parents to teach, and protect, their children from a narcissist. It is important to identify potential dangers, navigate traps and manipulations, and build a plan of action, no matter what decisions one makes about their contact with a narcissist. You are not the problem. It’s vital to see yourself as God sees you, not as the narcissist tells you are.