.png)
Holding Space with Dr. Barker
Holding Space with Dr. Christopher Barker is a psychology podcast focused on how unresolved complex trauma shapes daily life — from childhood through adulthood.
Complex trauma isn’t only about major events. It develops through chronic stress, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and relational instability. Over time, these survival adaptations can show up as ADHD-like symptoms in children, emotional dysregulation, workplace conflict, burnout, leadership struggles, relationship challenges, and intergenerational family patterns.
Through the lens of EMDR therapy, attachment theory, neuroscience, and trauma-informed care, Dr. Barker explains how the nervous system learns to survive — and how healing becomes possible.
Each episode offers research-based insight and practical tools for regulating triggers, improving relationships, and moving from survival mode to intentional living.
Understanding your story is the beginning. Healing transforms how you live it.
Welcome to Holding Space.
https://substack.com/@christopherbarkerphd
Holding Space with Dr. Barker
Trauma-Induced Narcissism: The Mask, The Mirror, and the Wound
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this deeply insightful episode of Holding Space, Dr. Christopher Barker explores the often-misunderstood connection between trauma and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).
Dr. Barker unpacks how narcissism can develop as a defense mechanism when trauma fractures a person’s sense of identity — leading to a constructed image they will do anything to protect. From the myth of Narcissus to modern psychological theories, this episode dives into the emotional complexity behind narcissistic behaviors, including rage, control, gaslighting, and trauma bonding.
He also discusses the challenges of engaging narcissistic individuals in therapy, the toll these relationships take on those closest to them, and how trauma can ripple outward — reshaping how survivors see themselves and others.
Whether you’re a therapist, survivor, or simply curious about the deeper layers of narcissism, this episode offers reflection, clarity, and a call to approach all of it with empathy.
Holding Space For You