maountainstream - exposure therapy is a cognitive behavioral technique where the subject slowly exposes themselves to their trigger over time and thus as a result, builds up a tolerance. You have to arm yourself with some verbal jujitsu when you cross paths with a narcissist. They are like kung fu artists the way they come in and surprise attack their victim with their verbal jabs (like gaslighting, minimizing feelings, contradicting, undermining, discounting, projecting, invalidating). You have to build up your self esteem stores, so that you can whack back at them with a swift verbal comeback that acts as a barrier to their "games." You know that a narcissist's main goal is to make you their next psychological prisoner where they belittle your self esteem and worldview so much, that you lose your sense of self, you no longer trust your own opinion or worldview, you won't make a decision without consulting the narcissist first, you believe their lies, and you do whatever they tell you because they've brainwashed you.

You HAVE to build up your self-esteem. That is literally the only weapon you have against a narcissist. I know. I have encountered so many (friends, lovers, family members) that I am still building up my self-esteem but I can at least recognize a narcissist from a mile away now. Even if I am related to them. I can hear their narcissism with how they speak to me - the words they use, the tone they use. And, I have some repetitious responses I can use with them. I just repeat the same thing over and over until they ****ing leave me alone. Am I perfect at it? Hell no. I still get trapped but then once I see that I'm in a trap with a narcissist, I either come here to PC and verify it, or I trust myself and get myself out of the trap and mourn the loss of the fake persona they presented to me, that I believed, so that I can move on.