ABSTRACT
There is much in the literature about the harmful and sometimes irreparable damage done by "narcissistic wounding" in childhood. Little attention, however, has been given to the wounding and betrayals that leave scarring marks on the adult lives they impact. It has been written that pain is morbid only when it goes unexpressed, for unhealed grief cripples or inhibits adult functioning. It matters little whether the wounding comes from external sources or is a product of self-sabotage —the aftermath is the same: the sense of "not-okayness," the hopelessness and self-pity, all of the negativity that occurs when dreams are lost and one's heart feels as if it has been broken.
