In Episode 15 of Unseen but Not Untold: Overcoming Covert Narcissistic Abuse, Dr. Christine C. Zacharia MD, integrative covert narcissistic abuse recovery expert and board certified endocrinologist, explores the spiritual power of truth and why the covert narcissist could never destroy what God placed within survivors.
"In this week’s episode I am discussing the power of truth - your truth, God’s truth and the role and purpose it plays in cultivating the path of tomorrow."
The episode frames the recognition of God’s truth as the moment when survivors begin to understand that the attacks against them were never random. The doubt, distortion, confusion and erosion of identity experienced in covert narcissistic abuse were designed to disconnect individuals from the truth God placed within them from the very beginning.
Truth Concealed for Divine Timing
At the beginning of the episode, Dr. Zacharia introduces a framework of concealment, explaining that the truth and purpose of covert narcissistic abuse survivors were hidden for protection.
“Up until you navigated the pain of covert narcissistic abuse, your truth and purpose were likely concealed — hidden, incubated, like a life forming in a womb.”
“That concealment? It was for your protection. It wasn’t time for your message to be revealed because the world wasn’t ready.”
Dr. Zacharia explains that humanity has entered a season where once hidden truths have been revealed. What was once buried beneath illusion, deception and darkness has now surfaced into awareness.
This framing is grounded in Luke 8:17 (NLT):
“For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.”
The Target of the Covert Narcissist
Dr. Zacharia explains that covert narcissistic abuse survivors were targeted because of the truth and light they carry.
“In fact, Satan knew your purpose even before you left your mother’s womb. That’s how strong the anointing on your life is — and that’s why someone like the covert narcissist was sent your way.”
“Who better to send than someone who appears kind and humble? Someone nice to everyone else… except you.”
That place of doubt is exactly where covert narcissists live, thrive and operate. If they get one to doubt themselves and their truth, they achieve the purpose they were set out to complete - to stop God’s chosen ones from fulfilling their God given purpose.
Doubt as Satan’s Greatest Weapon
“This tool of doubt is one of Satan’s favorite weapons.”
The episode references the interaction between Satan and Eve in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:1.
“When he approached Eve in the Garden of Eden, he asked, ‘Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?’”
The manipulation is subtle rather than overt.
“He exaggerated a boundary into a restriction. He subtly reshaped it until it sounded oppressive.”
This pattern is then compared to covert narcissistic abuse.
Instead of direct confrontation, covert narcissists destabilize reality slowly through questioning and confusion:
- Are you sure that’s what happened?
- Is that really what they meant?
- Aren’t you overreacting?
The episode emphasizes that the danger lies not in the question itself, but in its intended effect.
“It is not the volume of the question that carries the power. It is the intention behind it — an intention to seed doubt, to destabilize, to unsettle your heart and mind.”
Over time, this erosion disconnects survivors from intuition, discernment and internal authority.
“The goal is erosion. To chip away at your confidence in what God has shown you. To make you distrust your own perception.”
Childhood Wounds and Internalized Distortion
Dr. Zacharia explains that for many survivors, these patterns began long before adulthood.
In childhood environments involving narcissistic caregivers or authority figures, reality distortion is internalized due to dependency needs.
“So when that trust is manipulated, it does not register as deception. It feels like protection. It feels like instruction. It feels like love.”
Over time, this creates disconnection from one's inner knowing and reality.
“Your intuition and discernment feel unreliable. Your sensitivity is mistaken for weakness. Your leadership feels overwhelming and unwelcome by others.”
The episode also connects how the prolonged suppression of truth can lead to physical manifestation of various symptoms and ailments.
“Bit by bit, you shrink your truth, until your own body no longer recognizes itself—manifesting in somatic symptoms, physical ailments and even autoimmune conditions.”
Such wounds from childhood are weaponized by covert narcissists against their victims.
“They seek out weak entry points, moving deliberately to take hold and gain influence, always probing for access to what has been left unhealed.”
The Wound Becomes the Place Where Light Enters
A major reframing occurs around suffering itself.
“But here’s the plot twist: What Satan intended for your downfall, God used as fuel for refinement.”
Dr. Zacharia references a well known line from Rumi to illustrate this point.
“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
Within this framework, covert narcissistic abuse becomes a catalyst for discernment, resilience and spiritual alignment.
“God used the pain inflicted by the covert narcissist to strengthen, clarify and refine the gifts He placed within you.”
Dr. Zacharia describes the transmutation of pain as a form of alchemization, where one takes pain and transforms it into strength.
“This is the power of alchemizing the pain of covert narcissistic abuse: what was meant for your destruction was transformed to make you bulletproof—steadfast in truth, resilient in spirit and aligned with the purpose God has uniquely designed for you.”
Divine Timing, Isolation and Preparation
In this period of healing and isolation, God reconstructs one's foundation, reveals their gifts and shows survivors how each one is intricately connected to their greater life purpose.
The timing of this revelation bears significant weight as well.
"Had your purpose been revealed too early, it might have been misunderstood—or even sabotaged. God’s timing ensures that your message emerges precisely when the world is ready to receive it and when you are prepared to execute it with full strength, resilience and authority."
Dr. Zacharia reflects on her own life journey, explaining that her purpose is understood as requiring preparation before full revelation.
“Looking back on my life now, at the age of 43, I can see how every single event was carefully orchestrated by God.”
She describes a developmental process necessary for readiness:
“I had to learn the ropes of independence, the comfort of being alone in my own presence and refine the discernment needed to separate the falsehood of outside noise from the truth of who I am, the truth of who God is.”
The COVID pandemic of 2020 is referenced as a time of collective awakening where systematic truths about society, suppression and oppression started coming to the surface.
"But the corruption, the deception, the evil masquerading as good—this has only recently begun to be widely recognized. In 2020, during the global pandemic, when we were all in periods of isolation, many of these truths began boiling to the surface. Since then, the revelations have continued to unfold, amplified by the powerful reach and influence of social media."
Evolution of Dr. Zacharia's Calling and Reclamation of Truth
Dr. Zacharia describes the evolution of recognizing her life purpose in 2023.
“When I began sharing my experience with covert narcissistic abuse on social media in early 2023, I never imagined it would become a part of my life purpose.”
What began as education evolved into deep spiritual and transformational work.
“As I continued sharing my journey, I began to work on my triggers and my relationship with God deepened.”
By 2025, her life's path shifted significantly, including leaving her medical career behind.
"In March 2025, God asked me to leave my career in medicine behind. Even then, my full life purpose wasn’t yet clear. I had created...the TFM Transformation Course, to help survivors...transform and alchemize the pain rather than simply survive it. I assumed that this was the purpose He had for me, but I now know it was just the tip of the iceberg."
"The full depth of my calling did not become clear until late 2025. This delay was for my protection, as God was still shaping and refining me during a season of intentional isolation."
Season of Stillness and Refinement
Dr. Zacharia continues to elaborate on this season of isolation and refinement, including walking away from her family as well.
“He asked me to step away from my family in the summer of 2025 so that I could be refined in stillness."
“These last seven months have completely transformed my connection with God and with my truth.”
Learning to Recognize the Voice of Doubt
As her alignment deepened, Dr. Zacharia describes the increased internal resistance she faced in the form of doubt. This was evidence of the escalating spiritual warfare she was experiencing as a result of walking more fully in her divine purpose.
“There have been moments on this journey when doubt crept into my mind—doubt that sounded strikingly like the voice of the covert narcissist.”
The thoughts mirrored earlier abuse dynamics:
“‘Why would God choose you to do this?’
‘Your efforts aren’t paying off.’
‘Stay in your lane.”
Through her experience with covert narcissistic abuse, Dr. Zacharia learned to discern which thoughts were from the enemy vs wounds she still needed to address.
"But because of the fire of covert narcissistic abuse, I learned not to believe the doubt—whether it comes as intrusive thoughts from the enemy or projections from others misaligned with my truth. I began to see it for what it is: distractions sent by the enemy or wounds I still needed to heal within myself."
Spark Plug Symbolism and Divine Activation
Dr. Zacharia revisits a metaphor introduced in Episode 4 in which she describes acting as a “spark plug” and ambassador of change within the lives of survivors.
She revisits the symbolic experience involving the heating unit in her home during a frigid Chicago January, explaining how what initially appeared to be a mechanical failure became a spiritual lesson in purpose and perspective. She reflects on the moment in greater detail.
“The symbolism I shared in Episode 4—regarding the capacitor that stopped working in the heating unit of my home—was the beginning of the Holy Spirit revealing my purpose to me, a moment that has now fully clicked into place.”
She goes on to describe how this everyday malfunction carried deeper meaning.
“If you didn’t catch that episode, here’s a quick synopsis. Without a functional capacitor (also known as the spark plug), my heating unit could not operate—not because the motor was broken, but because a new capacitor needed to be installed.”
For Dr. Zacharia, the experience was a defining metaphor of transformation and renewed perception.
“God used this situation, in the middle of a frigid Chicago January, as a powerful symbol. That new capacitor represented a fresh perspective—a new way of seeing, understanding and approaching things.”
Within this framework, she emphasizes that survivors of covert narcissistic abuse are not defined by damage but by refinement through experience.
“God is using me as that fresh perspective for you—a reminder that you were not broken by covert narcissistic abuse.”
“God used the flames of what you endured to refine you into the resilient, empowered person you are today—a sword tested in the fire. A sword of truth - one that reflects yours which is divinely His.”
Symbolism: The Seagull and Archangel Gabriel
Seagull
In this episode, seagulls are presented as symbols of resilience and adaptability.
“They know how to navigate turbulent winds — shift and redirect their course — and move with precision without becoming entangled in the environment around them. Rain or shine — calm or stormy waters —they glide, adjust and find their path. You are that seagull."
This symbol becomes a powerful metaphor for survivor resilience.
“God has used the pain of covert narcissistic abuse to prepare you for this moment — to teach you how to ride the winds of life with discernment and grace.”
Archangel Gabriel
Dr. Zacharia references Archangel Gabriel as a symbol of divine strength and revelation.
“Archangel Gabriel embodies God’s strength—not as aggression or force, but as power flowing through complete surrender to God’s will.”
"Like water carving the Grand Canyon or nourishing the Nile Delta into a mosaic of blooming life visible from above, God’s strength moves effortlessly, patiently and persistently—shaping your life, purpose and truth without resistance, leaving transformation in its wake."
Archangel Gabriel is also associated with timing and announcement:
“Beyond strength, Archangel Gabriel represents the moment of divine announcement—when what has been hidden, refined or protected is ready to be revealed.”
“When Archangel Gabriel ( or the name Gabriel itself) appears, it is God’s way of saying: your time is now.”
Walking Boldly in Truth
As the episode concludes, Dr. Zacharia's message centers on embodiment of truth.
“Any challenges, pushback or misunderstandings you encounter are proof that what you speak carries weight.”
Survivors are encouraged toward visibility and embodiment:
“So step forward boldly. Do not shrink the reality of who you are. Do not dim your light because someone else is uncomfortable with it. Your truth—your voice, your story, your God-given purpose—matters. God will always honor it, protect it, and use it to accomplish what only He can."
Dr. Zacharia highlights Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT) at the end of the episode to reinforce this truth.
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”