If you know you’re a narcissist, why wouldn’t you get psycho-therapy? I guess the pain has to become so intense that you finally seek help. Changing religions, geography, jobs won’t affect a deep-rooted problem like narcissism. While it may not be curable, you can learn some empathy. I’ve gone through my life frightening people, but when you’re thinking of others, you can’t be enraged and you can’t frighten (Stephan Poulter)
How bad would it have to get for you to get help? How many jobs would you have to lose for speaking inappropriately to your co-workers or for looking at porn at work or the like? How many times would you have to get arrested for soliciting prostitutes or for beating your girlfriend? How much pain would you have to get in before you’d take a look at your addictions and compulsions?
I have a lot of lawyer friends who are sex addicts. They bill out at around $400 an hour. When they spend several hours a day on their addiction, on sexual and porn fantasies and strip clubs and liasons, they’re costing themselves at least a $1,000 a day to feed their addiction. It’s like they’re snorting a gram or two of coke each day.
There is no human security. There is always someone or something that can take you out. By learning to live with insecurity, by facing your demons, by recovering from your addictions, by developing a vision, your brain functions at a higher level. The recovered addict has learned to deal with stuff that most people never work through. Addiction can be a pathway to enlightenment. (Patrick Carnes)
