The Hard Part: Why and How You MUST Resist Narcissistic Hoovering

The Hard Part: Why and How You MUST Resist Narcissistic Hoovering

by

It’s always hard to deal with a narcissist, whether you’re still in the toxic relationship or you’ve recently left it. But due to the narcissist’s behaviors and patterns, there are times when we find ourselves feeling weak, almost powerless to resist their charms – even when we KNOW BETTER.

Do not let hoovering weaken your resolve to stay no contact with a narcissist.
Click To Tweet

One of those times is during the narcissistic hoovering phase. So that’s why we’re talking about hoovering and how you can deal with it today.

So what is hoovering, anyway?

The “hoovering” technique was named after the famous vacuum cleaner company, and it’s one of many common manipulation tactics employed by abusive, toxic narcissists.

This is when a narcissist sort of “sucks” his victim back into the relationship, or some  version of it. It often begins innocently enough, sort of subtly, but it always happens with one target – to regain control.

Hoovering usually begins after the devalue and discard phases, when the silent treatment has stopped giving the narcissist pleasure, and when he’s ready for more of the supply you’ve been feeding him all these months or years. Or, it’ll start when you’ve left the narcissist and he fears you won’t return.

The idea is that the narcissist needs to reestablish contact with you in order to get the narcissistic supply you’re so good at providing.

This is a dangerous tactic, because once a narcissist gets back into your good graces, you’ll often find yourself being love-bombed and hearing promises of brighter days ahead – but sadly, they won’t last.

A narcissist uses hoovering to suck you back into a toxic relationship. Do not allow it.l
Click To Tweet

10 Ways Deal with a Narcissist’s Hoovering


So, now that you know WHAT it is, how do you deal with being hoovered? Well, if you’re still stuck in the toxic relationship, you might as well just let hit happen – BUT, with a few safeguards in place.

First, don’t take the bait – because if you do, you may end up allowing the narc to cross your boundaries and you’ll end up settling for less than you really deserve.

Plus, you don’t want to allow yourself to start doing things that you wouldn’t normally do, and you don’t want to stop taking care of yourself in favor of the narc’s needs.

And most importantly, don’t give up your own independence.

But in general, the best way to cope with hoovering is to follow these guidelines.

1. Don’t let your boundaries be changed or broken during the hoovering phase. It’s too easy to “give in” during this phase – don’t!

2. If you’ve put safeguards (or consequences) in place due to the narcissist’s bad decisions, you need to keep those in place even and especially during hoovering .

3. KNOW that this phase WILL end and you’ll be back to “normal” status with the narcissist at some point. Look at previous patterns for an idea on how long it might last.

4. Make a special effort to maintain your healthy activities and relationships – and even increase the engagement with these healthy situations in order to strengthen your recovery efforts.

5. A lot of times, we use hoovering to bargain with our narcissists. We try to create positive change in our relationships during this time because the narcissists seem so receptive (moreso than usual) to our requests – but you’ve got to understand that most of the time, any change created will be quite short-lived – you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment.

6. Keep in mind that, as big of a jerk as he or she can be, a narcissist is a person who has a personality disorder – and mood swings or rapidly changing ideals are a big part of that.

7. Remember that knowledge is power. Educate yourself on NPD and make an effort to understand what you’re really dealing with. Often, understanding can lead to overcoming.

8. Don’t allow yourself to depend on the narcissist emotionally. They will disappoint you every time, especially when it matters the most to you. The hoovering phase can cloud your judgment and you might even end up setting yourself up for some real emotional devastation if you allow your narc to lull you into a false sense of security and intimacy.

9. If you have been physically abused and the hoovering is an attempt to make you forget it – don’t. Get some help – check out the emergency domestic violence page on QueenBeeing.com and don’t waste a minute – your life could literally depend on it. Take care of yourself!

10. Understand this deal for what it is. The narcissist does not love you – the narcissist is not capable of actual love. In fact, you’re just a pawn in his or her little game – so get off the roller coaster as soon as you can – go no contact or low contact. If you aren’t able to completely cut all contact, try the gray rock method.

The bottom line is that the one thing you can count on with a narcissist is that they don’t change. They might get better at hiding their true selves, and they might pretend to change for a while to get you back – but they certainly don’t ever actually change.

Here are some ways narcissists try to hoover you back into the toxic relationship. Each of these was collected from a survivor of narcissistic abuse and is a true story.

The only thing you can count on a narcissist to do is to stay the same. They do not change.
Click To Tweet

Have you experienced hoovering before? How did you deal with it? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Related articles

Pin It on Pinterest