“Gaslighting” is a great word because it so vividly describes the feeling one has when on the receiving end. It’s as if there is a match repeatedly being struck under you but then blown out to leave you wondering if it was lit in the first place. With gaslighting, the sudden little fires is the toxic behavior slowly leaving psychological burn marks. You may even start to stop trusting your own instincts or even what is happening right in front of you.
I never said that. You must have misunderstood me.
What is gaslighting?
Gaslighting is a form of manipulation, often subtle at first, in which seeds of doubt are intentionally sown in a targeted person or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment. It’s a form of psychological abuse involving an increasing frequency of systematically withholding factual information from, and/or providing false information. Victims of gaslighting often eventually lose touch with truth. They become compliant and their self esteem whittled down as as they get further emotionally embedded with the abuser.
The goal of the gaslighter is to make the victim(s) question their reality and create a dependence on them. It often happens in intimate relationships but can also occur