How Can Role-Playing in Gestalt Therapy Be a Fun Way to Treat Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Many individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) may find it difficult to seek professional treatment. It is common for someone with NPD to believe that there is nothing wrong with them. Standard methods of care may seem uninteresting or inadequate to someone who has NPD. Fortunately, gestalt therapy at Restoration Recovery can be a fun way to treat NPD. It offers a unique and enriching intervention for those interested in treating their condition.
What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Research indicates that individuals with narcissistic personality disorder often present with a persistent pattern of grandiosity. It is also common for someone with NPD to frequently fantasize about having unlimited power or importance. Some individuals with NPD feel they require special treatment or have a strong need for admiration from others. It is common for some individuals with NPD to endure significant psychological distress due to functional impairment or interpersonal conflict. Those with NPD often lack empathy for other individuals.
In regards to physical health complications, those with cluster B personality disorders such as NPD, demonstrate increased mortality rates due to heart disease than those without NPD. This disorder can be marked by emotional, dramatic, and erratic behavior or disorganized thinking patterns. Many individuals facing challenges with NPD have either:
- Spent time in prison
- Caused pain or suffering to others
- Have a history of interpersonal violence
- Had a criminal conviction
- Have impaired social role functioning
What Are the Warning Signs of Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Many individuals facing issues with narcissistic personality disorder experience problems with impulsivity, attention-seeking behavior, volatility, low self-esteem, and unstable interpersonal relationships. It is common for some individuals with untreated NPD to have an elevated frequency of feeling deep shame, self-directed anger, helplessness, or a higher admiration of themselves. Using lethal means to attempt suicide, making multiple suicide attempts, or making a suicide attempt in response to unemployment, domestic issues, financial strife, or health-related conditions can be a significant predictor of NPD.
It is also common for those with NPD to self-medicate with harmful substances in hopes of coping. If NPD is left unaddressed, many individuals with the disorder are at risk for developing co-occurring mental health complications such as anxiety or mood disorders. Some warning signs of NPD include:
- Reacting to criticism with rage, humiliation, or shame
- Taking advantage of others to achieve personal goals
- Exaggerating certain talents or achievements for attention
- Fantasizing over beauty, power, intelligence, or ideal love
- Having an obsessive interest in oneself
How Can Gestalt Therapy Be a Fun Way to Treat Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
Individual psychotherapy typically involves a licensed therapist and a client, with limited engagement such as “talk therapy.” This type of therapy is not for everyone and some individuals may experience difficulty maintaining treatment as one-on-one discussions can sometimes feel intimidating. On the other hand, group therapy can be more favorable to them as it generally has more engagement, including activities and direct interaction with peers.
Gestalt therapy can be an effective alternative to group therapy. Unlike other individual psychotherapy options, gestalt therapy can be an engaging yet enjoyable therapy to consider. It can help to know what to expect ahead of time to encourage participation. Unique techniques and activities one can expect to dive into with gestalt therapy commonly include:
- Role-playing – Most commonly called “the empty chair,” an individual may find it intriguing to speak to an imaginary person or act out another form of themselves for encouraged expression.
- Creative arts – Different activities such as drawing, sculpting, or painting can help people with NPD process their current emotions and better express themselves.
- Body language – The trained therapist will observe the client’s body movements, discuss the client’s observations, and ask how they feel about ongoing improvement.
- Words like “they” or “I” – Starting each sentence with a specific word helps an individual with NPD view things from a different perspective to gain self-awareness and further empathy for others.
- Guided imagery – Using a mind-body technique can encourage one to imagine being in a peaceful environment while promoting relaxation and emotion regulation.
Benefits of Gestalt Therapy and Additional Information on Why It Can Be a Fun Way to Treat NPD
Knowing it can be difficult for one with NPD to surrender to professional support, gestalt therapy at Restoration Recovery can be a fun path forward. This type of therapy offers a unique and enriching intervention for those interested in treating their mental health condition.
Gestalt therapy is a holistic therapeutic intervention that provides a whole-person approach. By developing spontaneous experiments, this intervention helps create insight for those with narcissistic personality disorder. Gestalt therapy is designed to:
- Foster self-awareness
- Explore the impact of the present moment
- Gain personal responsibility
- Aid in relapse prevention
- Reduce stress and anxiety
At our California recovery center, our serene setting helps clients achieve not just wellness but wholeness. Established in May 2017 in Auburn, California, Restoration Recovery Center is a product of the desire of a group of experienced therapists who wish to help in the recovery of persons with substance use disorder (SUD). Our mission here is to help people struggling with SUD, a mental health disorder, or dual diagnosis disorders achieve long-term recovery by offering treatment options that heal the mind, body, and spirit. We believe that a supportive and therapeutic community can inspire these building blocks to a healthy future. Call Restoration Recovery today at (888) 290-0925 to see if gestalt therapy is right for you.
