It may come to no surprise that highly empathetic people have a strong advantage over narcissists. It’s self-explanatory. Because after all, they possess what most, if not, all narcissists’ lack: empathy.
Face-to-face conversation with a narcissist is the best time to lean into what is going on underneath. Your intuition is your friend, and it will nudge you quite often when dealing with a narcissist.
Focus in and the truth will speak for itself. It is like being in two places simultaneously. You are not only looking right through them, listening to the words that are spewing out of their mouths — picking up on their negative energy or what a handful of people call “vibes”.
You will sometimes notice the occasional (or constant) insincerity and passive-aggression surrounding their many words or actions.
The narcissist can be a fool in a multitude of ways, but they are no match for people who are able to lean into what is going on beneath the surface. The narcissist will come to realize an empaths’ acute awareness, picking up on what is going on time and time again. Many narcs are emotionally guarded and try very hard to keep their vulnerabilities to themselves, so they will be very uncomfortable when empaths point them, or even attempt to.
Narcissists feel naked when empaths are able to reach and pick into their fragile personas, often pulling away like a turtle scurrying its head back into its shell.
If you are an empath, you will take notice of the narcissist’s discomfort. It may show in their numerous, yet awkward deflections and even non-verbal cues such as body language. And trust me, it will show. They will know that you are able to see through them — they do not like this.
Both literally and figuratively, they do not favor having to look in the mirror. And by confronting them with their behaviors (or actions) you are essentially forcing them to look inward. They will attempt to gather themselves by which the mere idea of doing so will make them panic.
They may attempt to change the subject, crack a joke or ask you a random, unrelated question. Some are quite afraid of emotional intimacy, while others are afraid to be negatively judged. Sometimes even both.
