Yes...it was a very big problem for me especially at the beginning and it happens anytime I have broken NC which always completely screws me up for a long time afterwards. Reading is something that has been very hard.

wow, that's exactly what happened to me!! i havent read like i used to in 5 years. i started a book club 15 years ago and also read periodicals all the time but during all the worst with my exN i couldnt read. i'm halfway through my divorce now and am starting to read again. i'm so glad you mentioned it. i do think it is distraction.

After the D&D, like Susan, I read pretty much anything light I could get my hands on because I couldn't concentrate. I caught up on several of the Sue Grafton Alphabet Mysteries that I had missed because Kinsey Millhone makes me laugh. But then I found solace in reading two novels that turned out to have narcissistic characters in them. She's Come Undone and White Oleandar. She's Come Undone in particular - the protagonatist's relationship with her first husband was a eye-opening glimpse into what my life would have been like had I actually married the P/N. Also, when I was a kid, my mother got me hooked on the The Thorn Birds. When I was young and idealistic, I saw the priest as a wonderful, tormented man who loved the protagonist. Reading it after the failed relationship with the P/N cast the whole story in a different light and I now see the priest as the classic somatic N. Much in common with the P/N in my life.

Anyway, I've been searching for more novels with narcissistic characters. While the psychology / self-help books are good for my understanding of the disorder, I found the novels just as helpful because they made the disorders seem more "real". If anyone has any other recommenations about books, I would really appreciate hearing them.

I have the same problem as you. I used to love reading. Now I get halfway through a book and I'm done with it. It's like my attention span shrank after being with my N. Even magazines, which I also loved reading... I can't get through a full one of those either. My focus and concentration are scattered all over the place right now.

I'm hoping this will get better in the next few months. I just don't feel like me, and it's an uncomfortable feeling.

Yes so right. I read avidly and wrote too. Now I can't do anything because I can't concentrate on anything. .. not sure I really understand cognitive dissonance properly but other posts seem to suggest this is the reason. Looks like NC the only answer

Hi me too...my concentration is gone,i get very tired in my head,even watching tv....but now after 2 years i am starting to watch English detective series,it really diverts my mind for a while...but still having problems reading,sleeping,having conversations that require a lot of attention and listening to music....i listen for 5 minutes and i feel out of sorts...

Take a look at my post on that thread and there are a couple responses as well. Ask your friends to challenge you to a reading contest, it worked for me!