You finally set the boundary and for about five seconds you felt proud of yourself. Then your parent pushed back and wished you could take it all back.
When you have a parent with narcissistic or unmanaged borderline personality disorder, boundaries don't land the way you were taught they would.
These types of parents are emotionally dysregulated, rely on you to manage their feelings, and read your boundary as a threat.
It's why so many cycle breakers quietly decide boundaries just don't work for them, when the truth is nobody ever taught them the second half of the process.
In this episode you'll learn:
- What a boundary actually is
- Why the same boundary lands fine with an emotionally mature person and is a complete disaster with a parent who has BPD or narcissistic traits
- Why setting the boundary is only half the work
- The piece that finally makes your boundaries stick
Ready to go deeper?
The Cycle Breaker's Vault is Torie's self-guided course for the adult children of parents with borderline and narcissistic traits. It covers dysfunctional family dynamics, boundaries, manipulation, grief, and reconnecting with yourself.
Learn more and get started at confidentboundaries.com/vault
Get access to bonus content and the entire archive of episodes when you subscribe to You're Not Crazy: The Private Feed: https://www.confidentboundaries.com/private
Follow Torie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyclebreakertherapist
Follow Torie on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cyclebreakertherapist
Support the show
A huge thank you to our podcast sponsors!
Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in crisis, please call the 988 Crisis Lifeline.
You're Not Crazy is owned and produced by Torie Wiksell and Confident Boundaries, LLC.
