When the time comes for you to finally confront the narcissist, you’ll feel a lot of emotions.

This empowerment isn’t easy, and what makes it even harder is that this is what the narcissist will take from you.

When you take it back and acknowledge it, there’s no going back.

As for the narcissist—well, there are things they’ll do in response.

I’ve laid them out for you here.

Prepare For A Hard Time

I never promise you a rosy morning in your narcissistic abuse recovery journey.

I won’t lie—it’s hard to confront a narcissist. They’ve gotten used to having you at their beck and call.

Related : 9 Things Narcissists Say To Avoid Any Blame (And Blame You Instead)

You’ve gotten used to playing your part, slipping deeper and deeper into the deepest version of yourself.

The dynamics seem like they’ll never change, so what do you do?

My advice is to always do what feels right. Once you begin to uncover the truth about the narcissist behind everything they demand, there’s no going back. You can’t undo this awareness once your eyes begin to open.

Don’t Avoid Standing Up – That’s What They Want

Of course they want it!

They don’t want to hear your voice. They love your silence and thrive on it.

But by remaining silent, you feed their motivation, and that motivation is very dangerous.

Punishment

I’m going to tell you to prepare for anything, and as I do, I’m also extending a hand of compassion.

Punishment looks like this:

Anger. You’ll see the narcissist at their most furious.

Words will cut like a knife. The narcissist will act as cruelly, even viciously, as they can in the moment to seek revenge.

You’re also likely to lose those around you when the narcissist reveals a smear campaign designed to discredit you.

Related : 12 Things The Narcissist Wants You To Believe That Are Not True

Punishment will immediately cast you as the lesser person, or the child in this dynamic, no matter how old you are.

If you refuse to accept it and continue to stand up for yourself and speak up, you’ll avoid this trap.

Silence

Silence is the most disturbing way for a narcissist to get to you when you confront them.

They’ll act like you don’t matter, which really relates to the rest of your time with them, doesn’t it?

Strange Looks? Here’s why!

I want to be more specific now. Only then will you be able to empathize, or pay attention to, what narcissists are really capable of when you confront them.

Smear Campaign

Smear campaigns are a cold, calculated way for narcissists to isolate you and make everyone think you’re a bad person.

You know you’re not, yet people fly away from you like flies because of what they hear from the narcissist.

This person is crazy.

They clearly miss me and will say anything to get my attention.

I’ve always known there was something off about them.

They’ve been saying the same things to me about you, too.

They seem like they’re trying to stir up trouble.

I urge you to stay away from them for your own good.

Related : Body Language Expert Reveals How To Disarm Any Narcissist

I see this all the time with victims, and they spend a lot of time sleeping because of the changes that are happening in their lives.

It’s beyond their control. The narcissist will fight every ounce of sanity in you, and it all starts when you confront them.

Lies

Lies are a narcissistic instinct. If anything gets them out of a difficult situation, they’ll use it to do so.

Lies include:

Telling others that you’re the problem.

Trying to deny your reality by manipulating you.

Lying to your face about what they did or didn’t do.

Confronting them will reveal an ugly side of the narcissist that you’ve never seen before.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Blame Shift

I don’t think I’ve ever met a narcissist who throws up their hands and says, “You know what? I need to stop blaming people for my mistakes.”

I think many victims’ lives would be much easier if they could only have this kind of justification, but unfortunately, we don’t. We won’t be like this all the time; narcissists will always be like this.

Have you ever been blamed for something that wasn’t really your fault?

Have you ever stood up to a narcissist, and they responded to you with everything you thought about them?

Have you mustered the courage to confront them about a problem that bothered you, only to hear them accuse you of doing the same thing, or hurt their feelings with that accusation?

And then what?

Do you feel guilty? Ashamed? Embarrassed?

Let’s move on.

Because you feel any of these feelings, you stay silent. Don’t do it again. The narcissist silences that brave part of you.

You dared to speak up, and they pushed you back into the corner they like to keep you in.

Why do you have to stay there?

You shouldn’t.

Victim

Please don’t yell at me.

I’m doing my best.

I don’t mean to hurt you, but it seems like you’re determined to hurt me right now.

Related : The Narcissist Hates It When You Know This About Them

I don’t know what I keep doing wrong.

I know what’s going on in your mind.

Alexander, why are you provoking me with these comments?

I don’t mean to provoke anyone, but these phrases are common, and they can hurt a victim’s mentality as they finally try to take a stand.

I repeat, any chance a narcissist gets to portray themselves as a victim, they will.

This is not only a blatant lie, but it also undermines every real experience you’ve had with a narcissist.

How dare they suddenly take it away from you at this moment?

Keep Doing It

It’s hard to accept, but confronting a narcissist has consequences.

It doesn’t really help you, but that’s because they’re designed to keep you quiet, or else problems will occur.

What does this mean for you?

It gives you two options.

Absolutely. To remain silent, to remain silent, and to allow the abuse to continue. This is your first choice, and it’s the choice many victims make for reasons of comfort and familiarity.

The second choice is harder, but it will give you the freedom you deserve and long overdue.

You persevere anyway.

The people left behind are the right people.