Thursday, February 26, 2015

Outcast from her family



I don't want to label everyone a narcissist which can be a danger for those in recovery, but I watched this show today and thought this was a classic narcissistic family. The father seemed more quiet and was more on the sidelines but it was disturbing to watch this show.  The mother gaslighted and kept calling her a liar even as Marissa admitted her wicked deeds as a teen and that she was in prostitution.

The sisters gave me the willies to the point, while watching, I thought that they had the same negative "energy" as my sister with the same obtuse faces, and the looks of disdain. I am clean living, never drank, or drugged but mine gave me the same exact look. I was told I was an "embarrassment" as well. They looked to me like the two sisters from Cinderella. Their helmet hairdos triggered me back to the last time I saw my sister. Their dark eyes was reliving moments in my life with her.

Sadly some scapegoats like Marissa can rebel, and end up in a life of drugs, prostitution and worse.  Some run to the drugs and drink to kill the pain, while the rest of us turn things more inward.  I tend to think because this young girl was adopted into her aunt's family because her mother was incarcerated, that they laid those things on her heavy, otherwise why did a girl who grew up in a middle class or upper middle class and was a straight A student go directly into prostitution?

My Aunt Scapegoat went the "rebel" route and the same dynamics played here that I saw in my family, the outraged narcissists all saying "How dare she!" and using her to play off of.  One aspect of narcissists is they are secretly happy when someone has gone down perdition highway because then they can use the alcoholic, drug addict, prostitute, street person relatives to make themselves look superior and to play martyr off of. Here within lies extensive nuggets of narcissistic supply. Those false looks of disgust and head shaking I am so familiar with. One would think both sisters saw themselves as Prim Hester or the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live in comparison to their wayward sister [actually cousin].

Being Aspie, I didn't rebel or go into the party lifestyle or sex industry, so my family had to make up sins for me. However in Marissa's case I felt like they were all ready to brand a "W" into her forehead and be done with her for good. The tears in my opinion on the part of the mother and one sister were fake. This was a family that cared most about appearances.

One of my friends who I have complained to Dr. Phil about says he is missing the narcissism because he is a narcissist himself. I am not sure, but I have to admit watching Dr. Phil tell this young woman that her "mom" [actually biological aunt] loved her when she said she did not triggered me back to those times too, I was told by various relatives and others that my mother loved me when I was being abused. Someone needs to do a seminar on narcissism with some of these psychologists. I think that is one of worse things he could have said. I believe in the crucible of that narcissistic family she was told she was "lesser", would end up like her mother in jail, could have faced some racial discrimination and definitely there is a reason she ended up having severe problems with her self esteem.

By the way throwing a 17 year old into the streets without any support is almost a guaranteed way to have them end up in the sex industry. Even if she was sexually active, or smoked pot or did other things that were bad teen behavior, they seemed ready to toss her into the streets and did not care if she starved or died. I know so many know crow on about tough love, but I think tough love makes things worse, maybe that is a subject for another post. By the way if a young woman is poor enough, the sexual predators and traffickers will find them. Being overweight doesn't protect you either.  That is how this world works.

Dr. Phil acted like this family could be a foundation for her healing and I was thinking she needs to get far far away. He did offer her a restart in her life which is I think the main reason she went on the show and willingly got put through it. Marissa needs to stay away from the people who brought her down and have no mercy for her even if they call themselves her family.

It looks like other commenters agreed with me who watched this Dr. Phil Show:

No wonder poor Marissa feels like she belongs nowhere. The woman who raised her(And in no way is that woman her "mother") doesn't seem to think Marissa is worth a darn. She says Marissa is a liar who BELIEVES her own lies? Excuse me, as human beings we KNOW when we lie and when we don't, so to accuse Marissa of being "nuts" (my word)  in front of the millions who are watching had to be incredibly painful for the young woman. And I'm willing to bet that Marissa's many issues started about the time her female caretaker blew her off when she spoke of being raped.

  People treat children who aren't their biological children differently than they do blood. This pretend "mother" says she gave Marissa "everything"-but where is the unconditional love Marissa should have received?  THAT means more than all of the material things she could have ever received. I think Marissa was a mere "duty" to the woman. She only got attention if she was the PERFECT child, & very few children are perfect. There's not a kind word out of that woman's mouth. This entire family has rejected poor Marissa, despite protestations of the IMAGINARY "love" they have for her.


  Some people AND families are just plain toxic & the only thing a person can do to remain sane is to separate herself from them. Marissa needs to let her dreams of a loving helpful family go cos THESE people don't fit the bill.  That woman makes me cringe every time she opens her mouth to say she "loves" Marissa and then goes on to talk about her like she's trash to be dumped. 

  Dr Phil needed to stand UP for this young woman instead of allowing her female caretaker to put her down so mercilessly. And to separate Marissa from the black half of her blood cos the CARETAKER didn't want to subject herself to "those people"-well, now I see why Marissa feels so lost and alone. It starts in the home.

7 comments:

  1. Interesting. How can I watch the whole show? -- LO

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  2. If one goes to drphil.com they see great portions of each show...



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  3. I was able to watch the show in its entirety on You Tube. Couldn't make it to the end as I have enough stomach issues and really don't need "Dr" Phil to aggravate my gut. I watched a rerun of this quack yesterday in which a 9 year old boy wrote the show seeking help from his abusive parents. And yes, they were emotionally and physically abusive to this kid - I ask you to take my word for it. Anyway, at one point Phil ended up putting his hands gently on dads shoulders, encouraging him, in the softest, most compassionate tones, to apologize to his scapegoat son. Which, of course, he did. Dad told the boy he treated him like shit only because he loved him, and wanted better for him than what he was able to do with his own life. Phil nodded approvingly, of course. This was done backstage. I did not witness a peep of compassion or validation from Phil toward the 9 year old victim. He saved that for the abuser. After this happened, Phil and abuser dad walk to the stage, leaving son behind in the "green room", or whatever they call it. Phil continued heaping encouragement and validation on this dad. Every few minutes, the camera would pan back to the kid back in the green room. You could see the fear in his body language as he sat there slumped in his chair, face down, fidgeting and picking on the foot stool in front of him. My wife, much quieter than I, let out a howl of frustration and disgust at the scene. AND NOW I WATCH THIS! Lord have mercy on our society! I'll tell you what watching this video triggered in me. I was a straight A student up until the 9th grade. A little angel was I. But I had an epiphany of sorts after the 8th grade, on a subconscious level more than conscious, that no matter what I did, or what I achieved, or how well I was accepted by those outside the "family", it would never be good enough for Nparents. When that realization came to fruition, it led to years of self-destructive behavior - just like Marissa. I have to wonder if that isn't what happened to Marissa. I mean, is it normal to go from a 4.0 GPA to drugs and prostitution seemingly overnight? I don't know what disgusts me more. Narc parents and siblings, or certain trained professionals on national television enabling them.

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  4. Hi Smakintosh, oh I understand not wanting to watch too long. I am not surprised hearing about the 9 year old boy. I have seen Dr. Phil take the side of way too many abusive parents, while degrading the abused. Yeah that narc. dad got even more narc supply playing a phony repentant boy. Oh I hate when these abusers claim that they abuse because they love someone. that is sick.

    I feel sorry for that little boy that is so awful. Of course how many therapists and counselors now do this to the children, telling them to make nice with abusers? They even tell adults to go and reconcile.

    I agree Lord have mercy on this society.

    I am sad to hear you went through the same thing being a good student and then having rough years. I know if I hadn't been so Aspie and extremely socially awkward, that is probably the path I would have been on. Many do give up knowing nothing is good enough for the narc parents. I sometimes sigh and think I would have been better off if the world didn't seem to join them in beating me down after I escaped. This is the kind of thing those types do to people like Marissa. Dr. Phil I think more and more is a narcissist so he bonds with the narcs and sociopaths while ignoring and invalidating the true victims. I still think of those sisters of Marissa, one seems the spiritual twin of my sister, it was so overwhelming. I am glad you survived all those years smakintosh and came out of that all. That is a path many of these narc parents put young people on.

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  5. Have I told you lately I thank God for you and your ministry? Well, I do.....thank you.....

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  6. Marissa's claims of having been raped n telling them did not ring true to me at all but then again she could have presented differently bc of all the prostitution since then. Why don't see why they would deny it n not have done anything clearly this does happen so who knows. Some of her anger at the mother seemed disproportionate considering this is not only not their biological child but the situation involving Marissas biological parents. Im sure she wasn't sure what to do at times. But I do think one of the four of them should have done more in past 3 years to get her help,go to family counseling etc. I would sayvthis even if she were 32 but especially only 22. I think the mother likely had best intentions but perhaps had more resentment towards Marissa when she rebeled as a teen bc the other 2 didn't. I don't think she prepared for feelings that would arise in Marissa as she became a teen based on her biological family trauma n not having them in her life. Yes they gave her a better life but that doesn't wipe all those feelings away. Then the mother likely became indignant thinking "after all ive done for you!" N the sisters of course took the mothers side.

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