In the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus, one figure cannot stop looking at his own reflection, while the other has lost the freedom to speak in her own words. The two are caught in a story of longing, rejection, and an unequal relationship with the self.
Dr. Diane Pomerantz recognized something deeply personal in that ancient tale. When she chose the title Lost in the Reflecting Pool: Surviving Narcissistic Emotional Abuse, she drew on the story of Echo and Narcissus to express what had happened to her identity and voice during an emotionally abusive marriage.
Echo Could Hear but Could Not Speak Freely
In Ovid’s telling of the myth, Echo is a nymph whose ability to speak has been restricted by the goddess Juno. She can repeat the last words spoken by someone else, but she cannot initiate a conversation in her own language.
