Empathic Sensitivity versus Narcissistic Sensitivity

How is highly sensitive sensitivity different from narcissistic sensitivity?

Why do HSPs feel attracted to narcissists? And vice versa?

When we say someone is “sensitive”, what about that is empathy versus narcissism?

Are narcissists just “highly sensitive”?

When you explore what it means to be Highly Sensitive, you will be confronted with that OTHER kind of sensitivity: narcissistic sensitivity as well. What are the differences?

In this article series, I explore these questions and more.

Why Narcissists have the Power to Make You Feel Crazy

March 27, 2022

If you’ve ever tried to reason with a narcissist, you will no doubt have felt exasperated, confused… and wondered if you were crazy. I mean, you’re a pretty smart person, but somehow you just can’t follow their logic!  Why is it that every time you feel like you get a little closer to understanding what’s going on, and […]

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What did you do wrong? Blame versus Criticism

April 30, 2022

Nobody’s perfect, right? So it’s normal to receive some criticism from time to time. If you’re someone who makes a real attempt to hear others’ point of view, reflect on your actions and take responsibility where needed, then surely, all will be well? So why is it that – with some people – even when […]

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What You Didn’t Know About Narcissism

May 20, 2021

When you think about “narcissists” you probably think about entitled, selfish people who only do what’s best for themselves while trampling on others, right? And those people exist, for sure, but they are not what you need to be on the lookout for when you’re trying to be smart about handling narcissism. You see, narcissism […]

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How to Recognize Psychic Narcissists Masquerading as Empath Healers (11 Indicators)

September 30, 2020

Psychic Narcissists? Masquerading? Empath Healers? These are all big topics. And why should you even care? Well – because the healing techniques and approaches that psychic narcissists teach, will teach you to become like them. Whoops! Yes, for the most part, we become what we do. There are many aspects to our self that we […]

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Reader Question: Why Can’t I Confront My Narcissistic Mother?

August 16, 2020

A reader wrote in asking “why can’t I confront my narcissistic mother?” Here’s her full question and situation: At 49 years old, why am I afraid to confront my narcissistic mother? Over the last year, she took out a HOME equity line of credit on her and my father’s house and gambled it all away. […]

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12 Misleading Ways Narcissistic People Sound Loving – when they’re really selfish

November 4, 2021

Some narcissistic people are really good at sounding loving, when they really aren’t. They care about “looking good” so when kindness gets them bonus points, they’ll be sure to phrase their motivation that way. These narcissistic people will often use “loving” language to refer to things that have nothing to do with love. It’s not […]

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The Key-and-lock of HSP-co-dependency and Narcissism

May 15, 2013

It’s a theme. Caring, committed person taking care of grumpy cold partner. Perhaps people on the outside see it, perhaps they don’t. At the point of heartbreak, relationship break-up and a gleam of returning sanity, the scenario often plays out something like this: Co-dependent HSP: my partner is really a good person at heart. Things […]

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Psychic Narcissism: when inner emptiness leads to psychic stealing

May 27, 2019

  What can be better than dealing with narcissists? Dealing with narcissists who have super powers. For sure. ahem.   I’ve written a lot about narcissism on this site + created a programme to free HSPs from the toxic responsibility-binds with narcissistic people, and for a while, that’s all I thought there was to it. […]

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HSPs: How to Say No to Narcissists once and for all

March 30, 2013

One of the articles here on thehappysensitive.com on narcissism is getting a lot of comments. Some people are in the “intellectual phase” of trying to figure out what narcissism is, others are in the “emotional phase” of coming to terms with the impact of narcissistic abuse. This video discusses these phases, including the final phase […]

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How to Stop Being Empathic and Become a Complete Narcissist (a.k.a. Arsecissist)

February 27, 2013

Let’s play devil’s advocate here for a bit. Admittedly, that can be hard (and let’s be grateful that it IS hard to understand those with Narcissistic Personality Disorder). Yet, for us HSPs, it’s essential to stop assuming that narcissists are “just like us”. It’s essential to stop assuming that we want the same things or that […]

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What if your parent is a narcissist?

December 8, 2013

A reader of this article left the following question as a comment: “What if the narcissist is one of my family members (like my dad)? I love him very much, but it’s unbearable being around him. He’ll pick me apart for what he sees as my problems, and even say that he loves me more […]

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Energy Sensitivity is not the Same as Empathy

November 22, 2017

Curious fact, you’d think that if someone is very sensitive to the energy of others that they are also very empathic and good at putting themselves into someone else’s shoes. Yet, some people are very sensitive to energy but at the same time quite clueless about their impact on others, or the needs of others. […]

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Why Do Narcissists Hate Grief So Much?

April 25, 2022

Narcissists really hate tears, have you noticed? If you’re the one crying, they’ll be the first one to ridicule you or make you shut up one way or another. To overt narcissists, tears spell weakness. That’s something they’ll likely admit to, because they like to boast about being strong. To covert narcissists, crocodile tears (not […]

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