Divorce is a trying time for everyone involved, and it can get much worse if the person you’re splitting up with is a narcissist. These individuals will try to control everything about the situation. They begin to act in frantic ways if they think that they’re losing that control.
One of the factors that makes divorcing a narcissist so difficult is that you can’t negotiate with them. This means that methods for divorce that can keep you out of court aren’t possible. They use this to their advantage because pushing toward a court trial is a way to retain control over the situation.
As you’re dealing with the divorce, you have to ensure that you aren’t engaging the narcissist. In many cases, it’s best to just let your attorney handle the communication for you. This takes away the ability of the narcissist to see how they’re impacting you.
You also need to determine how you’re going to address outright lies from your ex. They don’t see the truth in situations that they don’t like. This isn’t an excuse to lie, but their version of reality is going to be very different from your own. It’s best to try to avoid getting emotional and stick to the basic facts instead.
Divorcing a narcissist also means that you need to keep proof of everything. If you’re going to bring something up in court, be prepared to back it up with evidence. Working with an attorney who is familiar with how narcissists operate during divorce might be beneficial since it may take some stress off you.