Narcissists are enigmatic seductive personalities that feast on manipulating the minds of others. Many populists, cult leaders, gurus, and dictators fall somewhere on the narcissism spectrum. They lie with such impunity that our perception begins to accept them as truths.

A normal healthy mind cannot reconcile the confidence and moral stature of the narcissist with that of a petty sniveling little liar. So Instead of questioning the narcissist, we question our own perceptions. 

Narcissists will fake intense emotions of love, anger, disappointment, false modesty, and approval with their employees, spouses, and children, only to suddenly and randomly withdraw their affections or switch emotional gears.

Unwilling to experience real emotion they validate their reality by sadistically exercising power over the emotions of others. 

Narcissists are control freaks because control is how they are able to reinforce the reality of a false self.  It’s real they believe because it has an impact on those who are real. In other words, those with real emotions.

But the narcissist is anything but real. The false self is a mirage, a mere projection on the screen of our reality.  And although the lack of emotional friction allows narcissists to get ahead in the world, it also leaves them bereft of joy. 

Their entire existence is indentured to the insatiable appetites of the false self or mask that they wear to maintain appearances.  They manipulate others, but they are the ones being manipulated; By their own inner demons. 

Hope and Healing

 Evil cannot survive without consuming the energy of others. Evil will naturally self-destruct provided it is not invigorated by retaliation, anger, or even compassion.  Negative drama and positive praise are equally empowering to a narcissist.

The only way for the evil false self of the narcissist to die is if they are unable to extract admiration, attention or emotional energy from their victims.

 The attempt to heal from a life of spiritual trauma at the hands of a demented parent or a demented society is extremely painful and can actually lead to even greater psychopathy.  For a narcissist to voluntarily destroy the mask that has equipped him with so much outer strength, especially when he knows that what lies beneath is a terrified and battered child, is a horrifying prospect. 

In the religious context, the false self of the Narcissist has all the characteristics of a demonic figure as defined by the traditional Abrahamic traditions. The false self is the master of disguises, a pathological liar, a shape-shifting chameleon. He is clever and appears sane, successful, well adjusted, and often referred to as a genius. 

Christian psychiatrist Scott Peck suggested that we should consider the demonic origin of Narcissistic personality disorders and went as far as conducting exorcisms, which he documented in his book titled Glimpses of the Devil. 

A more secular claim, by one of the world’s leading authority on and NPD, Sam Vaknin, insists that NPD cannot be cured. Symptoms can be managed but the true self has been completely obliterated and only the false self remains. 

I subscribe to a religious world view, and as such, I believe that true healing and genuine emotional restoration is always an act of divine intervention. And without a spiritual orientation and understanding of this, we cannot even approach the topic of healing.

A moment of humility and surrender by the afflicted soul is all it takes to usher in the healing process. But this requires complete and genuine collapse of the false self before the almighty.

It sounds easy enough, but it is impossible for a narcissist to admit vulnerability. Surrender of any kind is a painful reminder of the helplessness they felt in the hands of their oppressor. 

However only when the narcissist  relinquishes the  false self and embraces the power of authenticity, whatever the earthly cost, can he and we be brought back into the light of a forgiving God. 

It is God’s grace on us that we must occasionally fall from grace. I believe that to be true to oneself is to be true to a higher power. The idea that our personalities can evolve apart from this connection is in my view, a bit narcissistic.