Narcissistic abuse survivor playlist.

 “Sleepless Nights and Déjà Vu” is a song about the aftermath of loving someone who was never real in the way they claimed to be. Written by Daniel Ryan Cotler, the track examines emotional addiction, manipulation, and the slow clarity that follows betrayal. It does not romanticize the damage. It names it, sits with it, and then moves through it.

From the opening lines, the song establishes a cycle familiar to many survivors of toxic relationships. Love arrives like a fever, intense and convincing, only to reveal itself as something harmful once the illusion breaks. The imagery of sweet words, false promises, and carefully constructed intimacy reflects a relationship built on performance rather than truth. What lingers afterward is not longing, but confusion and physical unease. Silence replaces lies, and even memory becomes painful.

The chorus frames emotional fallout as withdrawal. Sleepless nights, racing thoughts, and déjà vu are treated as symptoms, not weaknesses. The metaphor of poison is central here. What was once mistaken for salvation is now recognized as something the narrator must detox from. This shift in language matters. It reframes heartbreak as recovery rather than failure.

Verse two deepens that loss of self. “Forever” is described as a curse, fantasy as a trap. The narrator is no longer just hurt but displaced, describing themselves as a ghost of who they used to be. This captures how prolonged emotional manipulation erodes identity, not just trust.

The final section marks a clear turning point. The narrator names the addiction, the illusion, and the false heaven for what they were. There is no desire for revenge or reconciliation. There is refusal. No encore. No replay. The pain does not define the ending. Survival does.

“Sleepless Nights and Déjà Vu” ultimately documents a return to self after emotional chaos. The side effects fade. Breathing steadies. Wholeness is reclaimed. It is a song for anyone who has mistaken intensity for love and lived long enough to recognize the difference.

Sleepless Nights and Déjà Vu is available on all streaming platforms.

https://open.spotify.com/album/26pfpDTheuVscERXKmQy8K?si=_mXiMpWGSzmOFRRHzLRKsQ