Budapest Seminar: Cold Therapy (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
Sam Vaknin discusses his Cold Therapy seminar, which teaches unique techniques and philosophy for treating narcissism and other mental health disorders. The seminar is open to anyone, but certification is reserved for professionals or those with practice. Cold Therapy breaks the narcissist down and rebuilds them, which can be a painful process, but it provides hope for previously intractable problems. While a narcissist would not attend the seminar, anyone with an interest in psychology could benefit from the cutting-edge techniques and philosophy taught.
Narcissism and the Meaningless Life (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
The guest thanks Sam Vaknin for his work in identifying and naming psychological disorders. They discuss Hungary and the Hungarian people, who have a tendency to suffer and are highly ranked in suicidal accidents, divorce, and alcohol consumption. Sam Vaknin explains that this is not unique to Hungary, but rather a modern existential crisis caused by a loss of meaning in life. He discusses the problems of atomization and the need to be seen, as well as the shift from libidinal societies to fanatic societies, where pain has become the currency and language.
Narcissist: Ego Outsourced, Self Faked (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
The false self in narcissists is the only active element, fulfilling ego functions and interacting with the world. The false self is a defense mechanism created by the child to protect against pain and trauma, leading to grandiosity and a sense of superiority. Ultimately, the narcissist becomes an empty facade, a simulation of a human being, leaving victims with a sense of horror and disorientation. Even after physically removing the narcissist from their lives, victims struggle to rid themselves of the narcissist’s presence in their heads, leading to a form of psychological contamination and a sense of psychosis.
Shape-shifting Narcissist (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
Narcissists do not have a false self, they are the false self. The false self is a script, a piece of fiction that the narcissist creates by collecting reflections of feedback from others and putting them together in a collage. The narcissist’s identity is constantly dependent on feedback, making it a shape-shifter that changes second by second. Victims fall in love with themselves in the hall of mirrors that the narcissist creates, making it impossible to disengage from the narcissist or fall out of love because they are in love with themselves.
Cold Therapy and Grandiosity of Psychology (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses the prevalence of disrupted or atypical sexuality in narcissists and explains why traditional therapies are ineffective in treating narcissism. He emphasizes that narcissism should be treated as a post-traumatic condition using trauma-focused techniques and child psychology methods. He criticizes the resistance of the therapy community to adopt new knowledge and suggests that there is an overrepresentation of narcissists in the field.
Selves, True and False in Narcissism (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
The true self of a narcissist is a dead part that no longer contributes or consumes energy, it is ossified and fossilized. The narcissist’s insides have been externalized, and they use their false self to regulate and interact with the world. Narcissists need other people to regulate their internal environment and form a coherent identity, and they solicit narcissistic supply to regulate their sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Without narcissistic supply, the narcissist will disintegrate into molecules, and their very sense of existence depends on input from others.
Interpersonal Narcissist: Family and Relationships (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
Narcissists engage in a power play in relationships, which is a zero-sum game that doesn’t allow for intimacy or building something long-term. The narcissist will leverage whatever happens and whatever attributes of the relationship for their own gain and control. The longer you live with a narcissist, the more narcissistic you become, and it alters your behavior, identity, and self-perception. The contagion effect is disorienting and dislocating to the point of depersonalization, derealization, and dissociation.
Through Narcland and Beyond (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
Professor Sam Vaknin discusses his work in creating a language to describe narcissism and narcissistic abuse, which was previously neglected in the field of psychology. He explains that narcissistic abuse is different from other types of abuse as it is total and existential, and that victims were previously unable to describe their experiences. Vaknin believes that his biggest contribution to the field was giving a voice to victims of narcissism, but notes that there is still a lack of knowledge about narcissism among mental health professionals and in universities. He warns that without institutional knowledge of narcissism, narcissists will continue to leverage institutional power to promote themselves and prey on others.
Self-sufficiency and Narcissism (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
Narcissism is problematic because it leads to a zero-sum game mentality, where collaboration and cooperation are seen as unnecessary. This mindset is exacerbated by technological advancements that make people self-sufficient, leading to a decline in collaboration and cooperation in various aspects of society. As a result, narcissistic societies perpetuate income inequality and create a majority of losers and a minority of winners. This ultimately leads to negative outcomes for society as a whole.
Narcissism: Global and Universal (ENGLISH responses, with Nárcisz Coach)
Narcissism is a global phenomenon with no local features, making it the most powerful religion ever. It is a monovalent, homogenous, universalist, globalized, distributed, and networked religion, with all the features of the internet and cancer. Narcissism involves the worship of an omnipotent, omniscient, perfect being, the false self, which has all the attributes of God.