The Inspired Narcissist: Recovering the Narcissistic Wound

Establishing a relationship with the world-other-than-self heals narcissism. The relationship between the ego and Self is proposed to mirror the relationship the individual holds with the world-other-than-self. The world-other-than-self is the means by which Self communicates to the individual through objects, people, and nature. Cultural structures such as myth and art help to bridge the separations between individuals, the culture, and the natural world as human beings experience it. The myth of Narcissus and Echo especially is conceived of as an object that, once listened to, reveals a meaningful connection to life. The core theme of loss reveals the grief at play in the individual’s relationship to the world-other-than-self. Through language and the story of suffering as we perceive it and speak it, narcissism is revealed as a potential root of awareness of the very meaning of life. The recovery of meaning in this particular myth establishes a relationship, direct and sustained, to the cyclic nature and rhythm of life and death. For the individual, discovering the dynamics that establish the narcissistic aspect of oneself initiates a process of Self awareness that creates life.