Narcissists fear exposure more than anything. It is their kryptonite, the one force that shatters the carefully constructed illusions they spin to control those around them. They thrive in darkness, where manipulation festers unchecked, where whispers become weapons, and where reality bends to their will. But when the light of truth threatens to illuminate their tactics, they react in predictable ways—denial, projection, character assassination, and desperate attempts to erase the record.

This is not speculation. This is pattern recognition. And when those patterns are documented, analyzed, and made public, the narcissist is faced with an existential crisis: the loss of control over their own narrative.

What happens when a narcissist is exposed in real-time? What do they say? How do they frame their desperation? Let’s look at a live example—a case study in projection, fear, and self-preservation.

In response to my recent work on exploring a narcissist’s ego death, through the lens of Ted Bundy’s downfall, one individual—Joel Johnson—has reacted in a way that perfectly exemplifies the playbook of the exposed narcissist. His public Facebook response is not just a rebuttal; it is a blueprint of how those who fear documentation attempt to rewrite reality.

Here’s his exact message:

"You slander and harass people using AI-written articles. Use their names, likenesses, and use their personal photos to attack them, and then you call yourself ‘The Bully Expert | The Narcissist’s Reckoning,’ (which is narcissistic as hell, totally self-focused) and act like their victim."

Notice the careful inversion of roles:

• He paints himself and others as victims while framing me as an abuser.

• He calls truth-telling "harassment."

• He attempts to dismiss the documentation as "AI-written," as if this somehow invalidates the truth.

This is projection at its purest form. He accuses me of the very tactics he himself employs—misrepresenting facts, manipulating language, and engaging in a DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim & Offender) strategy.

But let’s go deeper.

This is the classic reversal technique. When a manipulator is caught, they don’t defend themselves—they accuse their accuser. The goal is simple:

• Deflect from their own actions.

• Control the narrative by making the exposer look worse than the exposed.

• Create false moral equivalence (“I may have done something wrong, but look, you’re worse!”).

This is, perhaps, the most revealing part of Joel’s response.

The "young man" he refers to? Raistlin Martin—a convicted axe murderer. A volunteer participant in my research. A diagnosed narcissist.

A narcissist I was able to assess with 90% accuracy using my research techniques—long before he disclosed his formal diagnosis.

And yet—my journalism ranks at the very top of Google.

For any journalist, this is the pinnacle of success: to have their investigative work become the definitive record of truth on a high-profile case. It is not a scandal. It is an achievement.

So why does Joel frame this as a problem?

Because in his world, truth itself is the crime.

At its core, this is not about ethics, journalism, or even reputation. This is about control.

Joel and those like him need to be the authors of their own history. They rely on social reset mechanisms—deletion, narrative shifts, and revisionist storytelling—to bury inconvenient truths.

What happens when those resets no longer work?
What happens when a third party documents the raw, unfiltered reality of their behavior—forever?

They lash out. They frame the documentation as harassment. They attempt legal intimidation. They use words like “bully” and “creepy” to evoke an emotional response rather than engage with the truth.

But none of that matters.

Because the truth remains.

This is not about Joel. He is merely one case study in a much larger phenomenon.

When the narcissist can no longer control perception, they collapse into desperation.
They make loud demands. They threaten legal action they cannot take. They rage against the record, knowing it cannot be undone.

But in the end, the record stands.

They may scream, but they cannot erase it.
They may threaten, but they cannot rewrite it.
They may project, but they cannot change what is documented, sourced, and verifiable.

And that is their true fear.

🔹 Documentation is power.
🔹 Truth is indestructible.
🔹 And exposure is the reckoning they cannot escape.