All of this rings true for me. I have two children with my narcissist. I can’t sever the ties permanently, but I am seriously thinking of moving to an island. I believe by being a ferry ride away, there will be less opportunities for my ex to gaslight me as often. He won’t be able to demand a visit in two hours and when I say no as we have plans, call me a liar and tell me to F off etc.

I am still working on healing and it is taking longer than I had hoped. People tell me to stop explaining myself and that I can just say no, which is hard as I am so used to defending my decisions.