“This is especially good news because what is learned can be unlearned and vice versa.” — 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