Being Human Episode 263: Holiness and Narcissism: Undoing the Knots with Awareness, Self-Determination, Empathy and Our Lady
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Jan 27, 2026 A deep look at spiritual narcissism and how common religious phrases can silence real healing. They examine how status, holiness displays, and overemphasis on prayer can erode intuition and trust. The conversation highlights conditional love in spiritual spaces, boundary-setting as mercy, and practical steps to spot and exit controlling dynamics. Themes of empathy, autonomy, and Our Lady Undoer of Knots recur throughout.
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Divine Accompaniment Heals Human Mess
- Christ and Our Lady enter into our human mess to heal psychological wounds alongside physical ones.
- Greg Bottaro emphasizes divine accompaniment over shame when facing disorders like narcissism.
Awareness Is Holding The Light
- Awareness plus self-determination lets empathic vulnerability become strength instead of weakness.
- Bottaro compares shining light on wounds to holding the operating-room light for the divine physician.
Empathy Can Be A Vulnerability
- Deep empathic sensitivity can coexist with vulnerability to being manipulated by narcissists.
- Bottaro describes a disordered complementarity between narcissism and dependency in relationships.