Midlife can be a difficult period for those presenting with narcissism. The collapse of dreams may evoke a sense of loss and loneliness.

The passage of time often shows its effects at the start of midlife, culminating in the collapse of unconscious fantasies.

Perfectionism, workaholism, and high performance are traits often caused by the childhood trauma of parentification.

Many will end up hesitating or never engaging in psychotherapy because of their unconscious fear of change.

Attachment to trauma is an emotional attachment to childhood trauma that may be continuously re-enacted in adult relationships.

The capacity for mature adult love is not an absence of an unconscious fantasy but the ability to hold and contain them in the relationship.

Unconscious fantasies guide, colour, and shape our romantic relationships. But because they are unconscious, we usually remain oblivious...