Abstract
Historically, patients suffering from pathological narcissism, including
narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), were considered challenging and
hard to treat. Since the second half of the 20thcentury new treatments have been developing heralding a growing hope
that transformative treatment of patients with pathological narcissism
is possible. Recent developments of phenomenology, childhood
antecedents, longitudinal course, and putative mechanisms inspired a
greater hope as well. This invites clinicians and researchers to take an
approach that is evidence-based, destigmatizing, and collaborative that
considers that at least some of the treatment challenges as co-created
by both the therapist and the patient. Further, new treatments add hope
by ameliorating such challenges of patients with pathological narcissism
as fragile alliance, limitations of reflectiveness and grieving. Novel
treatments are evidence- and principles-based and different approaches
to effective treatment development are described. Inspired by these
developments in the field, this Issue of the Journal of Clinical
Psychology: In Session was conceived as an opportunity for clinicians
from different treatment approaches to come together and share their
experiences in treating patients with pathological narcissism. The hope
is to find common language to understand these patients and their
treatment, understand what contributes to change, as well as learn from
commonalities and differences among these treatments. In doing so, this
Issue is hoping to promote destigmatizing, pragmatic approach that
prioritizes evidence-based efforts to understand the patient and
collaborative approach to promoting change.
Key words: Narcissistic personality disorder, pathological
narcissism, psychotherapy, evidence-based treatment, principles of
change
Building hope for treatment of narcissistic personality disorder