“The worst thing about having been traumatized with the look in childhood is that we can erroneously transfer and project our memory of it onto other people when we are triggered. We are especially prone to doing this with authority… — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“Perfectionism. My perfectionism arose as an attempt to gain safety and support in my dangerous family. Perfection is a self-persecutory myth. I do not… — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“The price of admission to a relationship with an extreme narcissist is self-annihilation. One of my clients quipped: “Narcissists don’t have relationships; they take… — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“jeopardy, but that he is also “a sorry excuse for a human being”. Over time, the look can make the recipient feel terrified and… — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“Dysfunctional emotional matching is seen in behaviors such as acting amused at destructive sarcasm, acting loving when someone is punishing, and acting forgiving when… — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“This appears to be a mechanism of dissociation, and in this instance, it rendered my client amnesiac of my high regard for our work… — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“Natural anger eventually arises when we really get how little and defenseless we were when our parents bullied us into hating ourselves.” — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“Horrible world events, difficult choices, illnesses and periodic feelings of abject loneliness are common examples of existential pain.” — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“The survivor may, seemingly without reason, visualize someone being abusive.” — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“[1] a minor upset feels like an emergency; [2] a minor unfairness feels like a travesty of justice.” — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“My parents’ twisted version of this boiled down to: “As f*cked up as we are, we’re still way better than you”.” — Pete Walker Copy Share Image
“Unfortunately, premature forgiveness strands us in relationships with our parents that are as devoid of genuine warmth and intimacy as ever. Unless we work… — Pete Walker Copy Share Image