10/24/2025
Gaslighting is a common buzz word being thrown around by people these days, and there’s very little understanding of what it really means. According to Psychology Today, there are 7 stages to gaslighting…
1) Lies and Exaggeration- in which the person creates a negative narrative about you based off false presumptions or accusations.
2) Repetition- Falsehoods are repeated constantly in order to stay on the offensive, control the conversation, and dominate the relationship.
3) Escalate when Challenged- When called on their lies, they escalate the dispute by doubling/tripling down on their attacks, refuting substantive evidence with denial, blame, and more false claims (misdirection), leading to doubt and confusion.
4) Wear out the Victim- By staying on the offensive they eventually wear you down until you question your own perception, reality, or identity.
5) Form Co-dependent Relationships- They elicit insecurity and anxiety in you, thereby pulling your strings. A co-dependent relationship is based on fear, vulnerability, and marginalization.
6) Give False Hope- This is a manipulative tactic in which they treat you with superficial kindness, mildness, and even remorse to give you false hope that they aren’t “THAT bad”.
7) Dominate and Control- The ultimate objective from a true gaslighter is to control, dominate, and take advantage of another individual, group, or even society.
Sometimes people’s wounds can seem like gaslighting because they are responding in a couple of these ways, yet this is a survival mechanism that they have learned to protect themselves and not intended to be malicious.
Either way, wounds and being truly gaslit can be challenging to overcome. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy may be able to help you regain your sense of self and rewire the maladaptive ways you have learned to respond! Call us today at 480-937-2747 to see if this treatment might be right for you…