How the heck did I get lured in by another narcissist and how can I stop doing this? These is two of the most common questions people have about their relationships with narcissists. It seems like just when you get out of a relationship with one, another one has entered your life.

If you find this is the case, you’re not alone. No one is immune from being manipulated and controlled by this type of person. Some are just more vulnerable, or are drawn to narcissists, such as those with a narcissistic parent, since their behavior is familiar. Narcissists are experts at detecting this and zeroing in on you.

If you were raised to believe that narcissistic behavior was normal, even if now you realize it wasn’t, you may dismiss the negative behavior of other narcissists until you are already in a relationship with them and they become abusive. Narcissists start off small with new targets and gradually increase their manipulation.

At the beginning they will be attentive, supportive and complimentary. Over time there may be infrequent indications that they aren’t who they are pretending to be, such as when they side with someone who is hurting you instead of supporting you. As it doesn’t happen often you tell yourself they’re just having a bad day. It’s only once they know you are committed to them that they start showing their true colors.

To stop this cycle, you need to first accept how wrong the behavior of your parent or other narcissist from your early life was (and maybe still is) and become determined not to dismiss such behavior in the future. It’s difficult…