You know that your partner has narcissistic personality disorder, and after all the discomfort, lack of empathy, and other problems you’ve experienced, it’s time to divorce. It’s good that you’re thinking about your mental health.

Remember, you may need a divorce attorney and someone to talk to when it comes to legal advice in the divorce process. Don’t forget to talk about child custody and child support with your divorce attorney.

When you learn about the stages of divorcing a narcissist, the process becomes easier, and you know what to look for. So, stay tuned to learn more about divorce from a narcissist and what the process looks like.

Stages of divorcing a narcissistic person: 13 stages to go through

Here are the stages of divorcing a narcissist:

1. Preparation

You know what a narcissistic relationship style looks like, and you should be able to prepare for it with your children. Make sure you have a safe space you can go to before you talk about your divorce settlement.

Being prepared when divorcing someone with narcissistic tendencies is extremely important. It is essential that you take care of yourself and your children before going through this process.

Narcissists are known for their selfish behavior. They often put themselves before others and prioritize their own needs over those of the people around them.

2. Confrontation

Confrontation is a stage you will face when you divorce a narcissist, and it is common for a narcissist to go through this stage. Once you tell them you want a divorce, they are sure to confront you and get upset about it.

They will try to convince you that you are wrong, that they are not being listened to, and that their feelings should be taken into account. In order to confront a narcissistic person, you must know what his triggers are.

This will help you avoid them and make it easier for you to talk to them in a non-confrontational way. Remind them that they could still be brought into the court system, which could weaken their divorce case.

3. Anger

And finally, you are the empath who left the narcissist to their narcissistic behavior. Anger has a lot of red flags, and there is always the possibility that the narcissist is trying to hurt you or take advantage of others, especially your children.

Anger is a normal and normal reaction to the pain of divorce. It’s hard not to feel angry when you’re going through a divorce yourself, especially when someone tries to take your children away.

Remember to put the safety of you and your children first. Make sure you get a free consultation with a family law attorney who knows what he is doing and how to deal with narcissistic behavior.

4. Denial

Denial is one of the stages of divorce from a narcissist. This is when they are still trying to convince you that you should forgive them for their past mistakes. They will try to be charming, kind and loving during this period.

Narcissists are often very skilled at denial because they have an inflated sense of self-worth and believe that no one can leave them.

Related : 8 subtle but convincing phrases narcissists use to guilt you into staying with them

They may be so immersed in this belief that they go through the divorce process and then realize that it is too late to save their relationship. This stage can last for weeks or months, but usually ends when the narcissist realizes that the relationship will not work.

5. Bargaining

Narcissists often use bargaining to prolong the divorce process. If you are in the bargaining stage with a narcissist, you must know how to deal with him.

They will make a deal with their wives to avoid and delay the inevitable. Do not give in to their needs and desires. This stage is when they try to prolong the divorce process by making deals or even devaluing the currency, or presenting excessive admiration or hatred towards the ex-spouse.

Narcissists are skilled at this and will use every trick available, such as delaying and postponing court proceedings, not paying child support, etc.

6. Ignoring

How long will this narcissist ignore me? It’s up to their NPD. It is essential to understand that narcissists will not change their behavior until they are faced with an ultimatum.

When they ignore you, it shows that they are afraid of you or your tactics. You should not take the bait and give the narcissist what he wants, which will make him feel stronger than he already feels.

They will continue to try to harass, manipulate and control you until they know there is no way out. Narcissists tend to be very manipulative and only care about themselves.

7. Sadness

That’s right, narcissists can feel sad about losing you. In fact, they miss you and the rush you gave them. This sadness can be caused by many things, such as realizing that your partner no longer loves you or that you no longer love him or her.

It may be difficult to get through this stage because it is not easy to overcome feelings of loneliness and rejection. However, all of this could be a trick to lure you back, so don’t be their shoulder to cry on.

Divorcing a narcissist is an incredibly difficult and stressful process. It is not uncommon for a divorced person to feel sad, angry, and frustrated.

8. Revenge

Dealing with grief can be difficult at first because it often feels like you’re drowning in your emotions. But you will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel once you realize that grief is just one stage in a long and challenging process.

However, for your ex, it’s different. All they want is revenge. They will do this by trying to make you look like you’re the crazy one, misusing your phone number, or constantly trying to prove themselves.

However, revenge is not always the best option. It can be seen as a coping mechanism for some, and will not have good long-term effects on the person seeking revenge. Instead of retaliating with more revenge, you should ignore them and let them fear you.

9. Blame game

This is a common behavior that narcissists use to make their partners feel guilty and bring up the past to manipulate them. They will try to get you to admit that you are wrong or have made mistakes. They will also try to make you feel bad about yourself, your decisions, and your body.

The narcissist can use the blame game to make their partner feel guilty for not being perfect enough or for things they have done wrong. The blame game can also be used as an attempt to get back at your partner to regain control of the relationship.

Don’t give in to this! It is not surprising that narcissists use blame games to make their partners feel bad. It’s a way for them to keep them on the hook so they can continue to control and manipulate them.

10. Name calling

Narcissists often use name-calling as a way to make themselves feel better by appearing superior. This is also a tactic to get the narcissist’s partner to react and give them validation.

Cursing is one of the most common forms of abuse during divorce and can cause anxiety, stress, and depression. It can be an effective way for a narcissist’s partner to identify when behaviors have become too much, and he needs to take action.

11. False accusations

Remember, if your narcissist shuts up, he or she thinks this means you’ve won. That’s why they bombard you with accusations. This is one of the final stages in the divorce process where the narcissist has lost all hope that his wife will change, and has no other options left.

The narcissist will often make false accusations to try to get back at his or her spouse for something or as an attempt to gain sympathy from others.

This may also be done by mistake or out of fear that their spouse will hurt them if they do not make any false accusations. They are not always easy to spot because they can be subtle and manipulative.

12. Manipulation

Narcissists often try to control their exes using tactics such as gaslighting, mind games, and emotional abuse. They can also use these tactics to get revenge on their ex for leaving them.

Manipulation is a stage in the narcissist’s divorce. They will use many methods to get what they want, such as lying, cheating, and emotional abuse. It’s not always easy to spot when you’re being manipulated by your narcissistic ex because they can be very skilled at it.

13. Acceptance

You know how this relationship changed you and that you are not the same person anymore. Your narcissist knows that you will not give up if you go through all these stages of a narcissistic divorce. They finally gave up.

They used to control your life, and now you are free to live it the way you want. It’s hard to let go of what they gave you and accept that it’s over forever.

Acceptance is when you finally realize that this person will not change and that they will never be there for you again.