10/12/2023
Gaslighting is a very serious form of psychological abuse, and extremely difficult to detect.
Gaslighting occurs when someone psychologically manipulates you into questioning your own sanity. The following are signs that you've been a victim of gaslighting.
- They deny things they've said to you, even though you're positive that you've heard them before. They in turn tell you that you're crazy and imagining things so as to distort your reality. This will make you question your reality thus the co-dependency.
- Your partner/friend will covertly insult you and when you get angry, they tell you that you're too sensitive, instead of them apologizing. They'll call you "fat", "a failure", "bad parent" "disgusting" and then tell you they were just joking and make you feel like you have no right to be offended. They'll blame you for being overly sensitive. You'll start believing this after hearing them repeatedly. You're self esteem will get so depleted that you start thinking you're crazy.
- They'll tell you that your friends and family are no good in other to isolate you from them. They isolate you so that no one will notice the abuse, and at the same time, they will pin these same people against you and tell them you're crazy.
- Most abusers have a charming side to them too. When they've manipulated you to the point where you've had enough, they throw in positive reinforcement and temporarily treat you so good, and you start making excuses for them. You start saying "he's not too bad", and then the vicious cycle continues.
- If this person is a serial cheater, they'll start accusing you of cheating. This is called projection.
If they're constantly telling lies and convincing you that you're the one lying, or that you are hearing voices, or that you're crazy, or bipolar, or imagining things.....then you're being ABUSED.