7 Signs that Someone is Gaslighting You

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation where the abuser deliberately tries to sow seeds of self-doubt and confusion in a victim’s mind. Gaslighters are motivated by a desire to exert control over another person. They do this by distorting reality, and by forcing their victim to doubt their intuition, and to question their own judgment.

The following indicate that you’re a victim of gaslighting:

1. You’re constantly second-guessing yourself, and your understanding of reality. You’re always being told “you got the wrong end of the stick”, so you often feel disoriented and confused.

2. You feel minimized by a person in your life. You get the message that your thoughts and feelings don’t count. Other people’s do … but yours don’t.

3. You feel lost or smothered in the relationship. You feel you can’t have your own unique identity, your own perspectives, opinions, understandings and beliefs. You’re even told your memories are wrong.

4. You’re always been told that there’s something wrong with you. You’re unstable, paranoid or are over-sensitive. Also, you are frequently told that you’re imagining things.

5. You feel there’s someone “off” about this person you are with – but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what that is.

6. You have low self-esteem and low self-worth. You’re afraid to speak up and to express your own true thoughts, or to show your true emotions – because you know you’ll be attacked. You’re afraid to rock the boat, or to question anything.

7. You’re weaker and less confident than you were before. You’re weighed down and oppressed. You’ve lost touch with your old self.

“For too much of my life, I’ve apologized when I wasn’t wrong, all to make a situation better. I’m not going to be that person anymore.” – Samantha King