To Begin

Recently, I realized that I am most likely the younger sister of a woman suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  I've been estranged from my older sister for close to a decade now.  The decision to sever contact with her was not an easy one.  There were times in our lives when we were tight, shared good moments, and laughed together.  I came to a crux in our relationship when my sister insisted that she had the right to dictate who I chose for my boyfriend, a job, and whether I could continue to write creatively or not.  When I replied that I was an autonomous being, she emailed me that I had hurt her feelings by insinuating that she did not allow me a free existence.  She followed up with multiple emails and phone calls, sometimes fourteen emails and phone calls to me at work, each following upon another loudly insisting an immediate response.  This behavior culminated with a threat to stalk me.  She acted upon this threat by showing up at my work place under an assumed name.  

In hindsight, I see how fortunate I was to move to another city.  Yet, my physical distance has not deterred my sister from her behavior.  I do not respond to her emails or phone messages.  She has let me know her displeasure by portraying me on her blog as a cold sister who has estranged her for no good reason.  Herself -- she was the loving sister who did everything for me, without reward or recognition.  Her readers believed her and commented on what an awful sister I must be.  For that, she thanked them.  For years, I felt demoralized and humiliated by what she wrote about me publicly.  It took me a long time to discover the disorder by which my sister has ruled her life.  

This blog is not a revenge blog, although it will most likely have bitter posts.  There will undoubtedly be moments when I will be unable to reflect but will rant and rave with anger.  But I hope that such posts will be interwoven with genuine resources.  Since coming to consider my sister a narcissist, I have spent quite a bit of time looking at other websites, blogs, forums and resources.  In general, most of these resources are dedicated to children of narcissists and those involved in romantic relationships.  If this blog can affirm the experiences of other siblings who have been emotionally or physically abused by their brother or sister, I will have contributed something worthwhile.  

About the user name: I had considered Echo first but it seemed too defeated.  Instead, I chose Athena, a Greek goddess known for so many of the better things in life.  May you too find these better things in life as you journey out of whatever mire and confusion that you might have suffered in the hands of a narcissist.