Narcissistic people don’t enter therapists’ rooms to face their losses, unless they are suffering from a depressive disorder. The narcissistic shell, which protects the frail Self, tends to crack during the middle age, when, as Dante said, one could find oneself "in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost". Nicola, aged 47, was suffering from a depression with psychotic features. Being worried about his sense of helplessness we decided to listen to him, without exploring sore spots. Suddenly he revealed his tendency to pick what he needed from others, who were seen in a partial, unrealistic way. He recovered from his depression, retrieving his narcissistic attitude, which keeps him alive, at the cost of draining him out.
Keywords: Narcissism; depression; middle aged; functioning; therapeutic listening.