Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Therapy NY, NYC

effective therapy for narcissistic abuse recovery nyc

Narcissistic Abuse Therapy & high-conflict Divorce Coaching in NYC

Are You in a romantic or family Relationship That Feels Confusing, Draining, or Emotionally Unsafe? i offer Specialized support for Individuals and Couples Impacted by Narcissistic Relationships

If you constantly question your reality, feel blamed for everything, or walk on eggshells to avoid emotional fallout—you may be in a relationship with a narcissistic partner, parent, or boss. At Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York, I specialize in trauma-informed psychotherapy for individuals and couples impacted by narcissistic abuse, emotional manipulation, and high-conflict relationships. Whether you’re in the process of leaving a toxic dynamic or still trying to understand what’s happening, therapy can help you reclaim your clarity, boundaries, and self-worth.

What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)?

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a complex mental health condition marked by deep insecurity, emotional dysregulation, and a chronic pattern of exploiting and devaluing others to maintain self-image. Not everyone who displays narcissistic traits has NPD, but relationships with narcissistic individuals—whether clinical or subclinical—can be profoundly damaging. If you constantly question your reality, feel blamed for everything, or walk on eggshells to avoid emotional fallout—you may be in a relationship shaped by narcissistic abuse. This form of psychological and emotional manipulation can be subtle, confusing, and deeply damaging, often leaving you unsure whether you’re overreacting or simply "too sensitive." Narcissistic abuse doesn’t always involve overt cruelty. In fact, it frequently hides behind charm, passive-aggression, or cycles of idealization and devaluation. Over time, it destabilizes your inner compass, leading to self-doubt, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and a diminished sense of self-worth.

This abuse can occur in romantic relationships, family systems, and professional environments. You might be entangled with a narcissistic partner who criticizes, controls, or gaslights you—then turns on the charm when others are around. Or you may be the adult child of a narcissistic parent who made love conditional, prioritized appearances over connection, and left you emotionally starving. In the workplace, narcissistic bosses or colleagues may exploit, manipulate, or sabotage, all while presenting a polished and admirable public persona.

What makes narcissistic abuse especially painful is its erosion of reality. You may have internalized the idea that you’re the problem—that if you could just be more accommodating, more patient, less emotional, everything would settle down. But it doesn’t. The goalposts keep moving. The rules keep changing. And you're left feeling small, ashamed, or “crazy”—when in truth, you're responding to a pattern of chronic invalidation and control.

At Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York, I specialize in trauma-informed psychotherapy for individuals and couples who have been affected by narcissistic relationships and high-conflict dynamics. My boutique private practice offers a discreet, emotionally attuned space to help you understand what’s happening, name the experience for what it is, and begin the process of healing.

Whether you’re still in the relationship, in the painful process of leaving, or trying to recover years later, therapy can help you:

• Reconnect with your internal sense of truth and intuition

• Understand the psychological tactics used in narcissistic abuse (gaslighting, projection, blame-shifting)

• Recognize trauma bonding and why it feels hard to leave—even when you know it’s toxic

• Rebuild emotional and energetic boundaries that were violated or never allowed to form

• Heal attachment wounds that keep you stuck in unhealthy patterns

• Develop self-compassion, confidence, and a deeper sense of agency

• Learn to co-parent, co-exist, or set firm boundaries with narcissistic ex-partners or family members

I integrate advanced approaches like EMDR therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic psychotherapy, and relational trauma work to support your full recovery—mind, body, and spirit. Therapy is not just about talking. It’s about reclaiming your reality, restoring your nervous system, and stepping into a version of yourself no longer shaped by fear, confusion, or self-abandonment.

Common Traits of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

• Grandiosity and inflated sense of self-importance

• Lack of empathy and emotional attunement

• Constant need for admiration and validation

• Gaslighting and manipulation of others’ perceptions

• Envy and hypersensitivity to perceived criticism

• Chronic lying or rewriting of personal history

• Control through guilt, shame, or passive-aggression

• Idealization and devaluation cycles in relationships

• Blame-shifting and refusal to take accountability

What Is Narcissistic Abuse?

Narcissistic abuse doesn’t always look like rage or violence—it often hides behind charm, control, gaslighting, and emotional neglect. Whether it plays out in a romantic partnership, a family system, or a toxic workplace, this form of psychological abuse erodes your confidence, distorts your reality, and can leave you feeling emotionally destabilized, even after the relationship has ended. The manipulation may be covert or overt, but the effects are the same: confusion, shame, exhaustion, and a profound disconnection from your own truth. Many survivors of narcissistic abuse silently endure years—sometimes decades—of emotional invalidation, self-doubt, and codependency, unsure of how to name what’s happening, let alone how to heal from it. At Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York, I specialize in helping individuals and couples recover from narcissistic abuse in all its forms. Whether you’re disentangling from a narcissistic partner, processing the wounds of a controlling parent, or healing from a high-conflict professional dynamic, therapy provides a safe and structured space to rebuild your voice, set healthy boundaries, and begin the deep work of restoring your emotional autonomy. Through an integrative approach that includes EMDR, somatic therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and attachment-based psychotherapy, I help clients in New York City and across New York State to navigate the complexities of narcissistic abuse recovery with clarity, compassion, and expert care.

Symptoms of Narcissistic Abuse:

• Feeling “crazy” or constantly at fault

• Emotional numbness or dissociation

• Anxiety, depression, or C-PTSD symptoms

• Difficulty trusting your own emotions or memories

• Chronic people-pleasing or codependency

• Isolation from support systems

• Feeling stuck in repetitive, toxic relationship cycles

Are you seeking therapy, coaching, and emotionally strategic guidance because you’re in a high-conflict relationship and divorcing a narcissist?

I offer high-conflict divorce recovery therapy and coaching for individuals struggling to navigate this challenging process. Divorcing a narcissist is not like a typical breakup or legal separation—it’s a psychological minefield. What should be a legal process becomes a prolonged emotional war, filled with gaslighting, smear campaigns, manipulation, and attempts to erode your credibility, confidence, and stability. Narcissistic partners rarely co-parent cooperatively, divide assets respectfully, or move on quietly. Instead, they often weaponize the legal system, use children as pawns, and project blame at every turn. If you’re in the midst of or recovering from a high-conflict divorce with a narcissist, you may feel overwhelmed, disoriented, and emotionally depleted—just when you most need clarity and support.

As a licensed psychotherapist and divorce recovery coach based in NYC, I offer trauma-informed, emotionally strategic support for individuals exiting toxic marriages or navigating complex custody and co-parenting dynamics with narcissistic or high-conflict ex-partners. This work goes beyond traditional divorce therapy. It’s about building emotional resilience, mastering psychological boundaries, and preparing for the manipulations, delays, and tactics often used by narcissists to destabilize the process. Whether you’re just starting the legal separation, mid-litigation, or in the post-divorce aftermath of chaos and control, divorce coaching and therapy can help you protect your peace, parent with confidence, and step into your next chapter with strength and clarity.

What You Need Isn’t Just Therapy—It’s Strategy when it comes to high-conflict relatinships and divorce…

At Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York, I offer specialized coaching and therapy for individuals divorcing narcissists and navigating high-conflict separations. This isn’t just emotional support. It’s psychological guidance grounded in trauma recovery, somatic regulation, and real-world strategic insight. As a licensed psychotherapist and trauma specialist, I work with individuals—primarily women and professionals—who need a safe, private, and intelligent space to:

• Understand narcissistic dynamics and high-conflict divorce patterns

• Emotionally detach from gaslighting, manipulation, and trauma bonding

• Learn the psychological tactics narcissists use in legal and custody battles

• Create a strategic communication plan for email, co-parenting apps, and court interactions

• Build boundaries to protect your peace, reputation, and parental role

• Heal from long-term emotional abuse while making empowered decisions about your future

Narcissistic Divorce Red Flags—What to Watch For:

You might be dealing with a narcissist or high-conflict ex if they:

• Routinely blame you for everything that went wrong in the relationship

• Refuse to negotiate fairly and escalate minor disagreements into legal battles

• Use the legal system to delay proceedings, increase costs, or punish you

• Turn mutual friends or family members against you with false narratives

• Try to gain full custody or paint you as unfit without cause

• Gaslight you in communication: “You’re being hysterical,” “That never happened,” “You’re just bitter”

• Suddenly become the “perfect” parent or spouse in public while being abusive or dismissive in private

Therapy for Narcissistic Abuse in New York

Healing from narcissistic abuse requires more than intellectual understanding or well-meaning advice—it demands deep, embodied repair. The wounds inflicted by narcissistic relationships are often stored not just in memory, but in the nervous system, in the subtle ways the body braces for conflict, shuts down connection, or chronically remains in fight-or-flight. True recovery involves nervous system regulation, the slow re-learning of safety, and the capacity to inhabit your body without fear. But healing also requires the reconstruction of emotional and energetic boundaries—the invisible lines that were blurred, crossed, or systematically dismantled in your relationships with narcissistic partners, parents, or authority figures. And at its core, this work involves trauma integration: making sense of the chaos, grieving the losses, restoring your reality, and reclaiming the self that was lost in the fog of emotional manipulation.

At Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York, my boutique NYC psychotherapy practice, I offer a private, attuned space where you don’t have to perform, explain, or defend your pain. You’ll receive expert, trauma-informed support to help you:

• Re-establish emotional clarity and rebuild trust in your perceptions

• Learn to regulate your nervous system through somatic and mind-body approaches

• Set and maintain healthy relational boundaries rooted in self-respect and self-protection

• Process complex trauma related to gaslighting, control, and emotional abandonment

• Uncover and release internalized shame and patterns of self-betrayal

• Break trauma-bonding cycles that lead to repeated toxic dynamics

• Grieve what was lost or never safe to feel—and begin to feel fully human again

This is highly personalized work, designed to meet you wherever you are in your healing process. Whether you’re currently in a narcissistic relationship, navigating separation, or years out and still struggling to feel like yourself again, I offer therapy that is thoughtful, integrative, and rooted in deep clinical experience.

For Individuals:

• Rebuild your identity and emotional resilience

• Identify red flags and break trauma-bonded cycles

• Heal attachment wounds that make you vulnerable to toxic dynamics

• Regulate your nervous system and restore a sense of safety

• Set and maintain strong, non-negotiable boundaries

• Grieve the loss of the relationship you hoped it could be

• Reconnect with your body, intuition, and sense of worth

For Couples:

• Clarify the presence of narcissistic dynamics in the relationship

• Understand the role each partner plays in enabling or resisting those patterns

• Restore honest communication and accountability

• Rebuild trust and safety when possible—or separate with clarity and support

• Explore root causes of relational rupture through attachment and trauma lenses

Therapeutic Approaches I Use to Support Healing

As a seasoned psychotherapist with advanced training in trauma resolution, I draw from a variety of integrative modalities to support clients impacted by narcissistic abuse:

• EMDR Therapy - To reprocess trauma memories, release emotional charge, and build internal strength

• Somatic Psychotherapy - To reconnect with your body’s wisdom and regulate the nervous system

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) - To heal inner parts that carry fear, shame, or trauma from past relationships

• Attachment-Based Therapy - To address wounds from childhood and understand relational blueprints

• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy - To explore unconscious patterns and the roots of repetition compulsion

• Mindfulness and Resourcing Techniques - To build self-trust, calm, and emotional presence

• Relational Therapy for Couples - To create safe, structured dialogue and honest exploration

Each client receives personalized care tailored to their needs, readiness, and relationship dynamics. This is not one-size-fits-all therapy—it is boutique, trauma-informed care for complex emotional realities.

Who I Work With

I provide therapy to individuals and couples in:

• Romantic partnerships involving narcissistic traits or abuse

• Adult children of narcissistic or emotionally unavailable parents

• Professionals impacted by narcissistic leadership or work environments

• People recovering from narcissistic breakups or high-conflict divorces

• Couples unsure if they want to rebuild or separate

• High-functioning individuals seeking trauma-informed insight and resolution

Begin Healing in a Safe, Boutique Setting with experienced guidance

You don’t need to keep doubting yourself. You don’t need to stay in confusion, shame, or silence. You deserve therapy that sees the complexity—and honors your capacity to heal.

At Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York, I work with clients across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and throughout New York State via secure teletherapy. Sessions are available in 60, 90, or 120-minute formats to meet your needs.

• Schedule a consultation for narcissistic abuse therapy in NYC

• Learn more about EMDR and trauma recovery after emotional abuse

• Explore healing options for couples impacted by narcissism and betrayal

FAQs for Divorcing a Narcissist & Navigating High-Conflict Divorce

Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York | Kimberly Seelbrede, LCSW

What makes divorcing a narcissist different from a typical divorce?

Divorcing a narcissist is rarely a straightforward legal process. Unlike in cooperative divorces, narcissistic individuals often turn the separation into a power struggle, weaponizing the legal system, finances, and even your children to maintain control and punish their partner. You may experience ongoing gaslighting, character assassination, unreasonable demands, or emotional manipulation. This type of divorce is often prolonged, expensive, and psychologically destabilizing—requiring strategic, trauma-informed support.

How do I know if I’m divorcing a narcissist or just someone who’s angry or difficult?

While many divorces involve conflict and hurt feelings, narcissistic divorce is marked by persistent patterns of psychological manipulation and control. Red flags include:

• Constant blame and refusal to take responsibility

• Gaslighting and rewriting history

• Using children or finances to retaliate or manipulate

• Creating false narratives about you to others (smear campaigns)

• Refusal to compromise or follow court orders

• Extreme charm in public, cruelty in private

A therapist with expertise in narcissistic abuse can help you identify patterns and protect your mental health.

What is a high-conflict divorce?

A high-conflict divorce involves ongoing hostility, manipulation, or litigation, often driven by one or both parties’ inability or refusal to de-escalate. It’s especially common when narcissistic traits or personality disorders are present. High-conflict divorces may include:

• Chronic legal battles

• False allegations or character attacks

• Parental alienation

• Emotional abuse or post-separation harassment

• Inability to reach agreements without court intervention

High-conflict divorce is not just emotionally exhausting—it can also become financially and physically draining without the right support.

What is trauma bonding, and why is it so hard to leave a narcissist?

Trauma bonding is a psychological attachment formed through cycles of abuse and intermittent reinforcement. When a narcissist alternates between affection and cruelty, the brain becomes chemically and emotionally conditioned to stay loyal—despite harm. This is not weakness. It’s a survival response. Trauma bonding can make it feel confusing, painful, or even unsafe to leave—even if logically, you know the relationship is toxic.

Therapy can help you break this bond and begin healing the attachment wounds that make you vulnerable to these cycles.

Will my narcissistic ex ever change or co-parent peacefully?

In most cases, narcissists don’t change without significant self-awareness and long-term treatment, which many are unwilling to pursue. Co-parenting may not be possible in the traditional sense. That’s why many professionals recommend parallel parenting with strict boundaries, limited communication (e.g., via apps like OurFamilyWizard), and court-sanctioned agreements.

Therapy and coaching can help you:

• Establish clear, enforceable boundaries

• Reduce emotional reactivity in communication

• Document interactions in protective ways

• Prioritize your children’s emotional safety and development

How can therapy help me through a narcissistic or high-conflict divorce?

Therapy provides a calm, nonjudgmental space to:

• Understand and name narcissistic abuse patterns

• Heal from long-term gaslighting and emotional invalidation

• Regulate your nervous system after chronic stress

• Break patterns of codependency and trauma bonding

• Strategize for safe communication, documentation, and emotional detachment

• Rebuild identity, confidence, and resilience

• Co-parent more effectively in the face of conflict

At Holistic Therapy & Wellness New York, I integrate trauma-informed care with high-conflict strategy to support you both emotionally and practically.

What’s the difference between therapy and divorce coaching?

While both offer support, therapy focuses on emotional healing, trauma processing, and deeper psychological work. Divorce coaching, on the other hand, emphasizes real-time strategies, decision-making, and communication skills to help you navigate the legal and relational terrain with clarity and confidence.

In my practice, I offer both—tailored to your needs. Some clients start with coaching and transition into longer-term therapy, while others prefer a hybrid model to address both the emotional and strategic dimensions of their divorce.

Do you offer support for post-divorce recovery?

Yes. Many clients experience emotional fallout after the legal divorce is finalized. You may still face:

• Emotional flashbacks or fear of retaliation

• Financial stress or ongoing custody issues

• Difficulty trusting new partners or reentering relationships

• Lingering guilt, grief, or identity loss

• Complex trauma symptoms that surface once the crisis ends

Post-divorce therapy focuses on rebuilding your life, reconnecting with your voice, and creating the emotional safety you may have never fully had—even before the marriage.

Can I work with you if I’m still unsure about leaving the relationship?

Absolutely. You don’t need to have all the answers to begin. Many clients seek therapy while still in the relationship to:

• Explore their options without pressure

• Strengthen their clarity and self-trust

• Work through fears of abandonment, financial insecurity, or guilt

• Prepare for a safe exit if that becomes the right path

You are welcome in this space—whether you’re just beginning to question the dynamic, in the middle of a legal battle, or trying to recover years later.

Do you work with both individuals and couples?

Yes—with care. I work with individuals navigating narcissistic abuse or high-conflict divorce, as well as couples who are in the early stages of identifying dysfunctional dynamics. However, couples therapy is only appropriate if both partners are willing to do the emotional work in good faith. If ongoing manipulation or emotional abuse is present, individual therapy is often safer and more effective for the partner seeking healing and clarity.

Is everything confidential?

Yes. All therapy and coaching sessions are completely confidential, with exceptions only where mandated by law (e.g., safety concerns). If you’re in an active legal battle, I can help you understand how to document experiences safely and ethically, and how to protect your privacy during the therapeutic process.