Video summary
The core message of the video is that contact from a narcissist after a period of silence, often referred to as hoovering, is not a sign of genuine affection or remorse but rather a strategic attempt to regain access to your emotional supply. The speaker uses the analogy of a car to illustrate this dynamic: just as a narcissist may neglect a vehicle until it breaks down only to return later for minimal repairs to use it again, they will discard you when you are no longer providing enough excitement or utility. Their return is driven by self-absorption and a constant need for validation, attention, and control, rather than any real care for your well-being or the relationship itself. They operate in survival mode, viewing people as objects to be used and discarded once they become boring or demanding of too much effort.
When a narcissist reaches out again, whether after weeks, months, or even years, it is typically because their current source of supply has become mundane, predictable, or failed to meet their needs. The speaker explains that these individuals are essentially predators with tunnel vision; while they are pursuing a new target or entertaining themselves with drama, they ignore everyone else. Once the new relationship becomes routine and fails to provide the necessary thrill, they will scan for an alternative, often returning to you as a "backup" option on the shelf. This contact is frequently a "temperament check" designed to see if you have healed enough to be used again, or to flaunt their new status before attempting to re-establish control. It is crucial to understand that any display of caring or concern during these moments is an act; they do not miss you as a person but rather miss the benefits and resources you once provided.
To protect yourself from this cycle, the video advises maintaining strict no-contact boundaries and dismantling the hope that things will ever improve. The speaker emphasizes that allowing them back in guarantees further destruction, as their next phase will likely skip the initial love-bombing stage and go straight to devaluation. Instead of worrying about their silence or interpreting their messages as genuine interest, you must focus on reclaiming your own identity by examining yourself without the distorted lens they created. This involves practices such as looking in the mirror, recording your voice, and sitting in stillness to reconnect with your true self and escape the state of fear, obligation, and guilt. Ultimately, peace and clarity come from realizing that you are not missing out on anything by cutting ties, as the narcissist's behavior is never about commitment or connection but solely about their own endless need for supply.
Read the full video transcript
This must happen before the narcissist
contacts you again.
So, a lot of people always ask me
if the narcissist will contact them
again.
But, I explain to them
at some point
they usually will.
But, then some of you say that it's been
a week.
It's been months.
And you think that they're going to
contact you again.
So, I think a lot of people don't fully
understand what narcissists do.
Because narcissists do contact people
again.
And this is called hoovering.
Hoovering is when they come back for
more supply.
So, they come back for more of your
attention.
More of your validation.
They come back for more control.
And to regain
possession of you.
So, you've got to think about it like
this.
You are like a brand new car to a
narcissist.
And when they first got you
they were excited.
Because you took them places.
You were fresh. You were new.
The problem is that eventually
the car needs to be maintained.
The narcissist neglects the car.
So, eventually
the car breaks down.
And then they hate the car.
They say the car is garbage.
They might leave it at the front of
their yard.
And then it's easier to get another car.
But they might come back and see if they
can get you fixed up.
They will never put maximum effort in
to actually make things better.
But they will do just enough
to keep the car moving.
Just so they can take it around town a
few more times.
Just so they can get what they need out
of it.
Because remember, all they care about is
supply.
They don't care to take care of the car
or to take care of you.
As long as you're living and breathing
and you're still able to supply them
with what they need.
That's all they care about.
So they'll do just enough.
They'll do the bare minimum.
Because it's all about themselves.
Remember, narcissists are self-absorbed.
They lack empathy.
And they're constantly in survival mode.
So all they care about is getting that
supply.
It's not because they love you or
because they miss you
or because they care about who you are
as a person
or because they care about your inner
experience.
No.
It is never like that when you're
dealing with a narcissist.
All they care about is themselves.
All they care about is supply
for themselves.
But eventually they do discard their
victims.
And if you're discarded, it's much
easier to get rid of them.
And of course, you know, you probably
want more for your life than just the
bare minimum.
You want to feel comfortable. You want
to thrive in life.
You don't want to be constantly on edge,
constantly anxious,
constantly depressed,
constantly wondering what they're going
to do next.
You don't want to live like that.
And this is it, you know, you've got to
take away your hope and belief in them.
Stop believing in their lies and future
faking.
Stop thinking that things are ever going
to get better because they're not.
And instead, if they go
you should go no contact.
Because if you let them back in, all
they're going to do is destroy you.
And this time around, there won't be
much of a love bombing phase. It will go
straight to the devaluation.
And it will get a lot worse.
So when they contact you again, it's not
because they miss you. It's not because
[clears throat] they care about you.
It's a temperament checker.
They want to see how you're doing.
They want to see if you're feeling
better.
They want to see if you're healing.
They want to see if you moved on
after what they put you through.
And it's because they know that you're
strong and resilient.
That's why they targeted you.
So, they want something that they can go
back and forth to
because it's easier.
It's more economical for them.
It conserves their energy.
And typically, when they come back, they
will try to rub something in your in
your face.
They will try to flaunt something to
you,
possibly regarding the new supply.
And if you broke up with them, now they
have to get you back.
And they will do anything they can to
get you back just to reject you.
But even if there's no contact at all,
they will typically return after maybe 6
to 9 months.
And that's because they're already 10
steps ahead of you.
They're never in the present.
They're always in the future.
So, you may think that they got
[clears throat] with someone after they
left you,
but they were already talking to them
while they were with you.
And they were probably talking to more
than just that one person
because they always have people waiting
for them.
They can't ever be alone.
They're never single. They need supply.
And that there's something with a
narcissist where
they've just always got to have someone
ready and waiting on the side.
It just fills them with anxiety
to think that that there's no one who
they can think of, who they can reach
out to
whenever they need to.
As long as they've got someone there,
as long as they've got someone on the
shelf, they're happy.
But then even when someone is there,
they typically don't really care about
them. They take them for granted.
They're just not grateful for it at all.
But then if that person isn't there,
now it becomes a real problem.
Now they become anxious.
Now they become desperate.
So a big part of this is just
knowing that something is there just in
case they need it.
And um
you know, what that really is when
they're in this state,
it's really just boredom.
Maybe even depression.
You know, they they just feel so low, so
empty.
And it's it's it's really more
psychological more than anything then.
You know, it's kind of like
you know, if you're thirsty and you
you've got lots of water,
and then you barely drink any of it.
But then let's say you don't have any
access to water for a certain amount of
time.
Now suddenly you really feel the thirst.
You know, it's more of a psychological
thing.
But yeah, what must happen for them to
return to you
is they must get bored of this new
person.
Because as long as they're still being
entertained by them,
and they think it's going somewhere,
or they're getting something out of it,
then they're busy.
They're preoccupied.
So,
at that point, they don't even see you.
Because they're pursuing something with
someone else.
And when a narcissist is in pursuit of
something,
they just tune everything else out.
It's like they have tunnel vision.
Because they're predators.
So, as long as they're in pursuit,
as long as they're occupied with this
new supply,
and they're entertained by it,
they won't even view you as a potential
prospect.
Even though they were with you before
and you were their supply.
Remember, it's not about connection.
They never fully connected to you.
There wasn't any real emotional
investment.
This is all just um
benefits, resources,
convenience.
It's a transaction.
So, things have to go bad with the new
supply first.
And it it's not just that things have to
go bad
because
it'll typically in a in a relationship
with a narcissist,
the love bombing phase is
if you're lucky, it's 10% of it.
The rest of it is just devaluation.
So, they can keep going with the
devaluation for a very long time.
So, it's not that it just has to be bad
because even when it's bad, there's
drama and that's still entertaining for
them.
And a lot of times that seems to be even
more entertaining
than the love bombing.
And that's why they spend such a long
time doing it.
Because they love how that makes them
feel.
It gives them a thrill.
So, what must happen for them to return
to you
is that it must get boring.
It must get dull. It must get mundane.
It must become routine, predictable.
Like it's just Groundhog Day.
They're just doing the same thing every
day.
And even when that happens,
unless, you know, they're really
desperate at that moment,
typically there's going to be a
temperament checker.
So, they need to see if you've healed.
They need to see if you're better.
Because why would they come back to you
when they could just pick up with yet
another fresh new source of supply?
So, you have to be good enough.
They're just rotten people.
We're all just objects or possessions to
them.
And once they've been with a person for
a few months,
they feel like they own that person for
life.
So, even if they appear to be done with
you,
they'll put you on the shelf, and
they'll see if they want you later.
And even if they've messed you up and
they've discarded you, they will wait
until you're better, and then they will
come back.
But yeah, they will contact you again.
It may seem like you haven't heard from
them for a while.
For some of you, it may be weeks. For
others, it may be months.
I've heard situations where narcissists
have come back after years,
even decades.
They can go off with someone else. They
can get married. They can have children.
And years or even decades can go by.
But then eventually they get bored of
that person.
Or that person stops tolerating their
toxic behavior,
or them cheating on them.
Because people victims in this, they can
often
they can often just fall asleep.
You know, they enter this um
the narcissistic fog, the fear,
obligation, and guilt.
And before they know it, years or even
decades have just passed by. They don't
know where it went.
And then one day they just wake up.
And so even though the narcissist may
have had supply for years
or decades, now they've suddenly lost
it.
And so now they need to find
some form of suitable replacement.
Because it's not always that they will
just
immediately come back to you.
It won't always be something big.
It may just be small steps.
So they may send you a friend request.
They may unblock you.
They may start texting you again.
They will do something to let you know
they're there.
And they will act like they care about
you.
Now,
there's really no motive
for a narcissist to even pretend like
they care,
for them to ask you how you're doing,
or to find out about
what's going on in your life,
unless they are desiring to be a part of
it.
That's why they're peering in with you,
because they're trying to see
if there's
room for them,
if it's something that they can
come back to and be a part of again.
But then you got to remember, you know,
this is after everything they did to
you,
and after they left you alone
for months without an explanation.
So, they may act like they care.
They don't really care about you.
Now, that's important to remember,
because it's why you're really just
better off not letting them back in
again.
They will never get better.
They only come back because they want to
mess with you again and get more from
you.
And that's what this is. This is just
all about supply.
All they care about is attention,
validation,
being admired,
or having someone that they can use to
be their emotional punching bag,
their personal ATM.
That's all that it ever was, and that's
all that it's ever going to be with
anyone they're involved with.
It's never going to be about
commitment, connection, a future.
It's never going to be like that again.
So,
you know, even if you're not hearing
from them, I wouldn't worry about it at
all.
You're not missing out on anything.
Forget about the stories they told you,
the lies, the future faking,
the false character that they displayed
to you at the beginning.
It's all fake. It's all an act. It's all
an illusion.
And it's all just distracting you
from what
should be more important to you.
And from what will give you
the
peace and clarity that you're looking
for.
And that is [clears throat] all within
you.
Once you come back to yourself,
once you focus on yourself again,
you will begin to feel a lot better.
Now, of course, this all begins by
really just examining yourself more.
Start looking in the mirror again.
And you may say,
"You look in the mirror every day."
But do you really look at yourself?
Because when you're with a narcissist,
it's like,
you know, they're always distracting
you.
But you're never fully examining who you
are.
It's always through the lens of how they
want you to see yourself.
So, you need to
find some space, find some time for you
to be alone,
where you can
examine yourself without judging
yourself.
And I mean, really just
looking in the mirror at who you are,
your appearance.
Maybe recording yourself on a camera on
your phone.
Recording your own voice and playing it
back.
And examining your own thoughts.
Just sitting in stillness for
at least 10 minutes a day.
That's how you connect to yourself and
get to know yourself again.
Because when you're constantly just
you know, it's like you're dissociated.
You're just
in fear, obligation, guilt.
And you're just constantly focused on
them. It's like you're in
hypervigilance.
It's the reticular activating system of
your brain.
You see you're constantly focused on the
narcissist.
You're anxious about what they're going
to do next.
Or you're you're thinking about things
that they've already done. You're trying
to solve the puzzle, figure things out.
And none of that
really has anything to do with you as a
person.
It's all about them.
And yet
you know, they get you to
filter everything through them.
And then define yourself
through that distorted perception.
Which all revolves around their sense of
control and superiority.
So it's highly biased, highly
inaccurate.
So yeah, take the time each day and you
know, just
to focus on yourself again. That's
really what I advise for you now.
And if you need more support,
you could reach out to me through my
website. I am available to you.
Book a one-on-one.
It's narc survivor.co.uk.
Thank you for watching
and I'll talk to you in another video
very soon.