Meet Anne McCrea, Founder of Narcissistic and Emotional Abuse Community
Hey Psych2Go readers,
Today, we had the pleasure of doing a Q & A interview with Anne McCrea, the founder of a page for people who have experienced narcissistic and emotional abuse. The site currently has over 200,000 members and counting. The vision of the Narcissistic and Emotional abuse community is to provide support and information for those who are dealing with narcissistic and emotional abuse.
About two months ago, we managed to get in touch with Anne through a mutual sharing of content. I thought we’d get in touch today to share more of her wonderful work with our Psych2Go community.
“Hi Anne, thanks for doing an interview with us. It’s amazing the work you have done and the impact you have made in people’s lives.”
- Can you start by telling us what inspired you to start the page?
“A relationship with a narcissist is a roller coaster ride with many highs and lows along the way. There is no happy ending. I would describe the aftermath as a plundering of your heart and soul. After being subjected time and time again to endless silent treatments, I knew that I had to walk away to save me. I still loved the nice side of the man, but sometimes love is not enough. To those of you who are not familiar with narcissism, I will enlighten you as to some of the traits of narcissism which appears to be on the increase in today’s society.”
2. You can read more about Anne’s story and why she started the website and page: HERE. What do you hope to accomplish? What’s your vision?
“Unfortunately, many people who find themselves in a relationship with a controlling and manipulative person are not aware about the subject of narcissistic personality disorder. I hope the page and website will educate and raise awareness about NPD and the devastating consequences of being involved with these individuals in one way or another.”
3. You have built an awesome community on Facebook of over 200, 000 and drove hundred of thousands of traffic to your site. What’s the message you want to share with others?
“You are far from alone. Sadly, many targets of narcissistic and emotional abuse have been isolated and feel that they are very much alone with no one to turn to, no one who understands. The vast majority of people on the page understand because they have been there. Many find a tremendous amount of support from others on the page.”
4. We can see that your page is very active with supporters helping one another including yourself supplying content to educate and help people on dealing with their problems. What are some of your general tips for dealing with narcissistic and emotional abuse?
“Never be afraid to seek the help that you need. Many people suffer from PTSD as a result of what was done to them. This can be treated with the correct help and support. Some see it as a sign of weakness to seek therapy. It’s not. It’s a sign of strength, knowing there is a problem and taking the necessary steps to address it.”
5. Good tip. Confronting your issue is always a great start and recognizing something as a problem. On the contrary, if someone discovers that they themselves could be displaying behaviors of narcissistic or emotional abuse, how should they confront it?
“Sadly, narcissists rarely recognize that they may be suffering from a personality disorder. Narcissists are generally unhappy with a rather fragile ego. When their relationships hit the dust as they usually do, they rarely blame themselves. They are not able to recognize the role they played. It is much easier for them to place the blame fairly and squarely on someone else. On the rare occasion that a narcissist seeks help, it is usually because they have hit rock bottom. A doctor will conduct a physical examination in order to rule out any underlying cause. The patient should then be referred to a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment. Psychotherapy is the main approach with treatment often lasting for many years. There is no known medication for narcissistic personality disorder, but as NPD is often accompanied by anxiety and depression, medications may be prescribed to help with these conditions. At this moment in time, I really can’t answer question.”
6. I think you’ve nailed the spot. A lot of the time, people are not self aware even when they are mentally healthy. Something like a personality disorder could be harder to look deep within and figure out. Hopefully, someone who finds out that they are by reading your content can seek the help that they need. Moving forward, what are your present projects?
The page has grown rather quickly in a short amount of time. At the moment, there aren’t enough hours in the day to do what I’ve got to do!! I’ve four dogs, two cats and two horses, a home and garden to run so no great plans at the moment.
Talk soon,
Anne
Edited by Viveca Shearin
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