Covert Narcissism: Why Your Fight/Flight Response Turned into Fawning

The Covert Narcissism Podcast · May 31, 2026 · 22m

Covert narcissistic abuse doesn't just hurt you — it rewires you. In this episode, Renee breaks down why your fight/flight response gradually turned into fawning, and why that isn't a character flaw — it's survival.

You'll learn why fight, flight, freeze, and fawn aren't random reactions. They're a hierarchy based on how much self-advocacy you feel you have. And in a covert narcissistic relationship, that self-advocacy gets quietly, systematically dismantled — until fawning becomes your automatic default.

In this episode:

Why the four trauma responses are actually a hierarchy of self-advocacy…