manipulative love: narcissistic mothers, enmeshed parentified children, and emotional incest

Former Nickelodeon child-star Jeannette MucCurdy’s provocatively titled new book “I’m Glad My Mom Died” became a near-instant New York Times bestseller after its release in August 2022. The Audible version of the book is narrated by Jeanette herself and details her struggles with disordered eating, alcohol addiction, OCD, unstable relationships and – most notably – her extremely complicated relationship with her codependent, overbearing, and abusive mother. In this episode, I discuss my reflections on the book. Through dissecting Jeannette’s experiences she so bravely shared in this memoir, we’ll dive into what we can learn about parentification, enmeshment (also known as “emotional incest”) and the devastating impact these kinds of toxic family dynamics can have on childhood development that carry on far into adulthood.  Questions answered and topics explored in this episode: ■ The exploitation of children in the entertainment industry (the trauma faced by child actors)■ The devastating impact of emotionally immature and “narcissistic” parents■ Signs you may have suffered childhood emotional incest (also known as “covert incest”)■ Signs you were a parentified child (the damage parentification can have on highly sensitive children)■ “The narcissistic mother” (the long-term effects these traits have on their daughters)■ How childhood trauma can lead to adult identity problems■ How children of cancer patients can experience post-traumatic stress disorder (parental cancer and its psychosocial impact on children) Recommended resources: ■ I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy■ The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller FULL ACCESS // CLICK HERE to unlock full future + past episodes and hundreds of hours of bonus content (including voice notes from me) as a Premium Submarine on Patreon. CONNECT WITH ME // CLICK HERE to email me, submit a voicemail, read my Substack, check out my book recommendation list on Amazon, follow me on IG, or listen to my sleep + meditation podcast Night Night Bitch (or visit backfromtheborderline.com) Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment or consultation with a licensed mental health professional. acast+ https://plus.acast.com/s/back-from-the-borderline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

You can perform emotional alchemy and I will show you how.The idea of alchemy is to reduce something with fire – burning it down so that something new can rise from the ashes. You can do this with your personality, too. You’ve always had the power; you just didn’t know that. Now you do. Highly sensitive, emotional, and intuitive children are often impacted most severely by dysfunctional family dynamics, childhood emotional neglect, sexual abuse, grooming, generational trauma, and inherited toxic shame. As adults, these same children often find themselves with a disorder or dysfunction label, as mainstream psychiatry tries to convince them that the root of their suffering is due to a disordered personality or chemical imbalance. Our current medical model of mental health is quick to pathologize. Psychiatrists and therapists operating within this model often ask, “What’s wrong with you?” but rarely, “What *happened* to you?” Personalities are not cancerous tumors; psychological suffering cannot be accurately understood or treated through the lens of a purely medical model. We have to go deeper. And that's exactly what we do here on Back from the Borderline. A path toward healing exists, even though I know it can feel impossible when you’re looking up from rock bottom. Through working with and integrating the concepts we explore in each episode together, you’ll learn to:✧ Better regulate, name and process your emotions✧ Understand and reduce chronic feelings of emptiness✧ Confront and uproot your toxic shame✧ Put an end to recurring patterns of self-sabotage✧ Connect with your Higher Self✧ Break the cycle of generational family trauma✧ Set healthier boundaries with yourself and others✧ Recognize the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships✧ Heal from a chronic need to please and seek validation from othersTune in and prepare yourself to be standing in the ashes of the person you used to be. New episodes drop every Tuesday. As for me? I'm Mollie Adler. A disillusioned millennial, podcaster, writer, creative, existential thinker, obsessive researcher (huge nerd), and fellow f*cked up human desperately trying to find meaning in a society and culture that seems to be devoid of it. To read my Substack articles, access my Amazon book recommendation list, submit a voicemail, or contact me for collaborations, visit https://linktr.ee/backfromtheborderline. Anyone – even you – can come Back From the Borderline. 𓆩ᥫ᭡𓆪  acast+ https://plus.acast.com/s/back-from-the-borderline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.