Hoovering: the vacuum tactic (sucking you back in)

I find this picture comical in light of the subject matter of this post. (Actually, it is comical without the post)

Sorry Hoover, you’ve never made me happy (especially as a birthday present).

Yes, you read right. The term is hoovering (so stop trying to correct me autocorrect!). And yes, from what I can tell, it really was named after the vacuum. (And Hoovering does seem to work better than Dysoning and Eureka-ing, though Sharking would be a top contender).

It describes the narcissist’s attempt to win back (read: suck back) the victim into his life. I think of the visible dust and dirt particles I can see swirling around inside the container of my Shark vacuum; that topsy-turvy chaotic mass of debris. Yep, that sounds about right. Get sucked back in and you find yourself tumbling headlong down the rabbit hole again.

As you will see in this article, you are a prime target when you have cut off contact or are attempting to keep your distance. But don’t mistake this renewed “interest” in you for finally being valued; rather it is the narcissist’s renewed attempt at receiving validation himself.