Recalling Life With My N-MIL Reading through my old journal entries, I'm recalling the constant feelings of dread, hopelessness, oppression, and despair . During the time we lived with my in-laws, my narcissistic mother-in-law (N-MIL) engaged in gas-lighting, verbal abuse, rewriting history, blatant attempts at manipulation, playing dumb (or forgetful), projection, lying, denial, double standards, tantrums, crocodile tears, threats, bullying, emotional blackmail, and at least one meltdown of nuclear proportions. The majority of it was directed at my husband, while I was mostly treated as a non-person; the in-laws wouldn’t even address me by name when they were speaking to me, they would simply start talking at me. Toward the end, when the tension was almost unbearable, I would often reflect on how my N-MIL and her flying monkey would go on the offense in order to keep her targets busy running defense. It was the same way, years ago, when I lived with my narc. Abusers put so much ef
Healing From Emotional Abuse