Interview with Dr. Keith Witt: Understanding Narcissistic Dynamics and Emotional Growth in Family Systems
This blog post distills two expert interviews—family-systems therapist Dr. Keith Witt—into a practical roadmap for anyone grappling with narcissistic or emotionally immature relatives. Inside, you’ll learn how the four-quadrant model explains stalled emotional growth, why cluster-B traits distort entire family hierarchies, and how historic thinkers like Bowen and Mnuchin turned that insight into today’s boundary-based therapy.
5 Tips to Protect Yourself from Toxic Family Dynamics
In this post and companion video, therapist-educator Blake Anderson distills key insights from Dr. Keith Witt and narcissism expert Dr. Sam Vaknin into five actionable strategies you can start using today: mapping the whole family system with a genogram, crafting simple “kind-but-firm” boundary scripts, choosing the safest rung on the contact ladder, tracking how interactions feel instead of chasing clinical labels, and prioritizing daily self-regulation practices that rebuild confidence and calm. Whether you’re dealing with a chronically critical parent, a manipulative sibling, or the lingering echoes of a scapegoat role, you’ll walk away with clear tools to protect your mental health, depersonalize the drama, and move toward healthier, more balanced relationships.