For more than 30 years, I have worked with people seeking to heal from the negative impact of narcissistic relationships.
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For more than 30 years, I have worked with people seeking to heal from the negative impact of narcissistic relationships.
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My greatest learnings in my life did not only come from higher education.
They came from three decades of counselling clients, raising four children, and doing my own healing work.
I will always remember my mother, Elizabeth.
She radiated warmth, kindness, and a playful spirit.
My father was charismatic in public, but frightening, violent, and unpredictable behind closed doors.
When I was seven years old, my mother fled with us in the middle of the night, seeking safety with another man who promised to protect us from my father.
But he became far worse.
Only months later, my mother was suddenly taken from us.
My younger sister and I were left orphaned, without a permanent place to call home.
Those experiences shaped many of the questions that would later guide my work:
Even from a young age, I found myself drawn toward listening to people, understanding their stories, and having meaningful conversations about life.
Over time, entering the field of counselling felt less like a career choice and more like a natural extension of who I already was.
I am a Registered Clinical Social Worker in Alberta, Canada, with more than three decades of experience in counselling, trauma recovery, and relationship healing.
My work draws from:
Over the years, I have completed advanced training in relationship and trauma-informed approaches, including:
People who struggle to heal from narcissistic abuse are not weak.
What many people experience in these relationships is trauma.
Chronic emotional manipulation, gaslighting, self-betrayal, fear, attachment injury, and prolonged emotional invalidation can deeply affect a person’s nervous system, identity, judgement, and sense of safety.
Many people adapt by:
Not because they are weak.
But because the situation itself became psychologically and emotionally overwhelming.
And I believe healing is possible.
I believe people can heal beyond their pain; and learn to rebuild self-trust, emotional safety, healthier boundaries, discernment, and a stronger relationship with themselves.
I believe healing does not require becoming cold, harsh, or emotionally over-boundaried.
I believe it is possible to stay compassionate at the same time as you become strong.
And to build a life rooted not in truth, self-respect, and authentic connection.
My work brings together multiple areas of study to better understand empathic trauma, relational injury, and healing.
No single theory fully explains why empathic people can struggle so deeply after narcissistic abuse.
That is why my work draws from multiple disciplines rather than relying on simplistic advice or surface-level solutions.
Empath Intelligence™ was developed to help explain why many empathic people remain emotionally and relationally stuck even after gaining insight into narcissistic abuse and toxic relationship dynamics.
Rather than focusing only on awareness, Empath Intelligence™ explores how trauma, attachment injury, emotional conditioning, nervous system dysregulation, and relational patterns interact to shape behaviour, self-trust, emotional safety, and relationship choices.
At its core, Empath Intelligence™ is a trauma-informed relational framework focused on helping empathic people understand:
It integrates concepts from multiple fields of study into a practical relational healing framework designed specifically for empathic people recovering from narcissistic abuse and relational trauma.
I invite you to explore the SmartEmpath® resources.
My hope is that this work helps you heal the trauma you've experienced.
Start your healing journey today.
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🔸 DOCTOR IN COUNSELLING
🔸 RELATIONSHIP & TRAUMA EXPERT
🔸 30 YEARS of EXPERIENCE
"I’ve never felt more seen, understood, and empowered.
Thank you, Dr. Michael!"
- SmartEmpath® Participant -
About Dr. Haggstrom
Dr. Michael Haggstrom is a Registered Clinical Social Worker in Alberta, Canada. He is dedicated to teaching empaths worldwide the skills they need to effectively break free from relationship trauma and finally get their deepest needs met.
Founder of SmartEmpath® and Empath Intelligence™
Creator of the Big-Hearted & BadAss® program
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