Cycle of Abuse The primary model that has been offered for how narcissists abuse their partners is the three-stage idealize-devalue-discard narcissistic abuse cycle.  It begins with a honeymoon stage called “love bombing.” Love Bombing involves being showered with affection, gifts, and promises for the future with someone making you believe you may have discovered love at first sight. The relationship will then deteriorate into the devaluation stage of severe and persistent emotional abuse, including gaslighting, emotional manipulation, verbal abuse, social isolation, and silent treatments which all lead a victim to become trauma bonded to their abuser. The victim will then suffer the eventual discard when the abuser abandons the victim in a cruel and dramatic fashion. This cycle can continue over and over until the victim decides to end the abusive relationship by going no contact.