Gaslighting — what it is and how we can be aware of it in modern relationships

Gaslighting…

This is a term in the psychological and pop-psych world which is a catchphrase term for a specific type of insidious manipulation that takes place in relationships.

The term gaslight originally comes from a 1938 play that later turned into a film. In the story, the wife was made to feel like she was losing her mind by a manipulative husband who feeds her false information….

But how does it work in our modern-day relationships?

Where the experience of gaslighting can be quite pronounced and overt (as portrayed in the film), our experiences of gaslighting can often be more subtle…

One way that we experience “gaslighting” is when we are told information which causes us to doubt and question ourselves.

For example: You share something which feels true for you, based on your experience, and you are made to believe that you are wrong/stupid (or any other combination of guilt, shame or doubt) for expressing that thought / having that experience.