Not every cold heart is narcissistic.

Not every manipulative pattern is about control.

Sometimes, it’s just an old survival skill trying to keep pain away.

In this episode, Jason Foersch opens up about his abusive childhood, being left on the streets at a young age, and how survival shaped behaviors that looked like narcissism… but were actually symptoms of trauma.

We explore how childhood neglect, emotional abandonment, and chaotic environments can create behaviors like emotional shutdown, anger, detachment, and control, often mistaken for narcissistic traits. But while narcissism seeks admiration, trauma seeks protection.

This conversation helps us understand:

🧠 When does survival become personality?

💔 Why trauma survivors may look narcissistic but aren’t driven by entitlement

👤 How the inner child still shapes the adult

🌱 And most importantly, how healing begins