A relationship that works on the dynamics of gaslighting is usually very toxic and abusive in nature. Gaslighting usually takes place in relationships where there is no equality in power and the person gives their abuser the leverage to exploit their personal space. Hence, for a healthy relationship, it is very important to identify the signs, effects, and ways to combat such abuse.
Signs You Are Being Gaslighted
Gaslighting is a vicious cycle of abuse and is not easily detected when used in a relationship. The normalization of conflicts and disagreements makes it even harder to distinguish if you are actually being subjected to abuse or not. Hence, here are some crucial signs you should possibly look out for if you suspect that you are a victim of gaslighting:
1. If Your Partner Engages In Deflection
Deflection is the opposite of taking accountability for one’s own actions. In simple words, it is the act of defending and guarding one’s actions, feelings, and beliefs by pointing fingers and blaming the other person. Deflection is a red flag that is commonly seen in people who have an egoistic attitude. Egoistic individuals go to extremes to protect themselves and dodge any threats against their self-image or self-importance. Hence, in relationships, it becomes difficult for them to accept their mistakes or apologize as they always feel that their partner is to blame for everything. They lash out at you if you challenge them and dismiss your emotions while not taking responsibility for their behavior. You will be made to feel crazy for speaking up and saying something, lessening the likelihood of you doing so again. Individuals who practice this kind of behavior are:
Usually afraid of the negative consequences of their actions Don’t want to tarnish their outward image Not empathetic Play the victim
2. If Your Partner Trivializes You
Trivializing is minimizing someone’s achievements, emotions, problems, and feelings – in other words, invalidating and making someone feel inferior about themselves. In relationships, it is an unhealthy and toxic way of projecting one’s power, control, and insecurities on their partner. This has a damaging effect on the victim’s self-worth, confidence, and self-esteem. However, they can’t constantly criticize you, so they will pepper in positive reinforcement to string you along and confuse you. They will praise you just enough to keep you from leaving. Some indicators that your partner is belittling you can include:
Passing crude comments, harsh criticism, insults, and humiliating remarks Refusing to acknowledge your achievements
3. If Your Partner Manipulates You
An abuser manipulates and uses your own thoughts, actions, beliefs, and behavior against you for mainly one of these two reasons:
To make surrender your power and trust To make you second guess your reality
Hence, gaslit victims usually find themselves questioning and doubting their actions and sanity, making it hard for them to trust their own perception. A major sign of getting gaslit is when your partner is trying to control your mind by filling it with doubts to the extent that it confuses and alters your perception of the truth.
4. If Your Partner Lies To You
People who gaslight their partners have a habit of fabricating lies and stories. Such people have no guilt or remorse for their lying behavior. Even when you present them with evidence of their deception, they try to deny, falsify, and distort the truth, which boils down to you questioning yourself.
5. If Your Partner Talks Over You
Conflicts and arguments are unresolved and frustrating with a person who engages in gaslighting. People with gaslighting tendencies will show the following signs during a conflict:
They will try to stonewall you (shut you down) Not give you an opportunity to explain yourself Not listen to your counterarguments Refuse to understand or interact with you Accuse and deviate from the point of conflict
Such conditions make it difficult and frustrating for the victim as the gaslighting individual is more focused on proving themselves right rather than finding a mutual resolution to the problem. Gaslighting in relationships usually takes place in stages. Find out all about the stages of gaslighting in the next section.
Stages Of Gaslighting In A Relationship
Gaslighting is a gradual process that the abuser uses to slowly gain the upper hand in the relationship. The extent, form of manipulation, and stages can differ from person to person.
1. Lying
Victims of gaslighting will usually start to notice that their partners are manipulating them by blatantly lying to them even in the presence of evidence to the contrary. Lying is one of the common tactics used by an abuser to hold control over their partner. It involves twisting the truth and building false narratives to steer their way out of any blame. Abusers will go to great lengths to deny anything that has happened and present you with things that are not true as absolute truths. This results in you feeling confused and lost. That being, not all liars are gaslighters. Here are a few differences between a liar and a gaslighter:
A gaslighter will mold your reality by distorting the truth. Their lying has an ulterior motive, i.e., gaining control over you. They lie to actively blame you for something that is not your fault.
2. Relying
Abusers are capable of taking victims to war with their own brains by sowing the seeds of doubts and confusion against their own perception and reality. Such victims of abuse become more vulnerable and confused over time and trust themselves less. This creates an opportunity for more power and control for the abuser. Victims who are constantly exposed to gaslighting lose their sense of self and start relying on their partner’s perspective and reality more than their own.
3. Feigning Care
Gaslighters are masters of manipulation. They use words that give the victim a false image of them showering care or concern. During conflicts, a gaslighter will show kindness and become an empath; they will assure the victim that their words and statements are purely from a place of concern, whereas in reality, they use it for their own benefit, i.e., to shift blame in the situation.
4. Tearing Down The Victim
Victims of gaslighting are repeatedly put through manipulation, lies, invalidation, questioning, discouragement, etc. Due to this, the victim loses their individuality, becomes insecure, and starts judging their own thoughts, beliefs, and actions. In short, the abuser destroys the victim’s psyche, making them codependent and vulnerable.
5. Control
One of the prime goals of gaslighting in relationships is to gain power and dominance over the partner. Gaslighters have a tendency of growing their control over the victim by continuing the cycle of lying and manipulating while undermining the victim’s confidence in their own ability to differentiate between deception and truth.
6. The Repetitive Cycle Of Abuse
The gaslighter will exploit the victim by:
Re-writing history in their favor Telling white lies Demeaning their worth
Gaslighting is not a one-time occurrence. It is a vicious cycle of abuse. Constant exposure to such abuse makes it easier to gain control and manipulate the victim.
7. Defensive
Gaslighters tend to become defensive when they are faced with a threat to their self-image. For example, when the victim criticizes their actions or presents a valid piece of evidence or point. In such situations, the abuser will refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, lie, pit false accusations, question, and doubt the victim until they don’t agree with them. Listed in the next section are some examples of gaslighting in a relationship. Keep reading.
Gaslighting Examples In A Relationship
Gaslighting in relationships is a sensitive issue. Hence, identifying gaslighting can be difficult and confusing. Here are a few examples that will help you identify gaslighting in a relationship:
Notice if your partner defends themselves by doubting you or telling you that you live in delusion. Gaslighting partners are not good with confrontation. They will deny or ignore the issue and not arrive at any solutions to conflicts. They engage in the blame game every time something goes wrong. They always portray themselves as the They bombard you with compassion when they know they have done something wrong. They try to cut off your ties with any of your social circles like your friends or family.
Wondering why people start gaslighting in the first place. Read the next section to find out.
Why Do People Gaslight?
The psyche of a gaslighter is hard to decipher. There is no one specific motive for a person to gaslight someone. There could be a few possible reasons why someone is using gaslighting against you:
Mental Health Issues: A person with a history of borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, or antisocial personality disorder, or someone with maladaptive personality traits like manipulation or deceiving, can use gaslighting as a way to control their relationships to make them feel less vulnerable. Avoid Consequences: Gaslighting is a powerful tool of manipulation that abusers use to get away with something they have done. For example, abusive partners can use gaslighting to escape from confrontation regarding their bad behavior, like cheating, stealing, lying, etc. Control: One of the primary goals of a gaslighter is to gain authority and feel powerful. An abuser can hold control over you for something you might have to offer or are easily accessible for. It could be for money, love, affection, sex, fame, prestige, etc. Insecurity: Another reason why people may engage in gaslighting is that they feel insecure about themselves on a deep level. A person may use gaslighting to break and demean the other person, feed their ego, feel powerful, and make themselves feel better. Pain: Gaslighting can be a projection for someone who is trying to avoid the shame, guilt, and pain of letting their partner down. Underlying pain or trauma could be the motivation for such
There are many ways to put an end to gaslighting in a relationship. Find out how in the next section.
How To Stop Gaslighting In A Relationship
Gaslighting can have damaging effects on an individual in a relationship. Self-deprecation, lack of self-esteem, anxiety, low confidence, PTSD, vulnerability, codependency, and inability to trust are a few harrowing mental effects of gaslighting. To combat such abuse, standing up for yourself, preserving your mental health, and taking back your control should be a priority. Here are a few ways in which you can stop gaslighting in a relationship:
1. Realization
The first step to free yourself from gaslighting is figuring out if what you are experiencing is actual gaslighting. As emotional abuse is harder to recognize, understanding not all conflicts amount to abuse is important. Here are a few ways to identify if you are a victim of gaslighting:
Make sure that the pattern of abuse is consistent over time. It is emotionally draining and mentally exhausting. You are doubting your choices, feelings, and actions. You find yourself apologizing for more than you Your feelings of unhappiness, confusion, and paranoia persist for a long period of time.
2. Maintain A Calm Composure
Dealing with gaslighting is exhausting as it involves dealing with a variety of emotions. Frustration, confusion, sadness, anger, and anxiety are a few of the emotions experienced by victims of gaslighting. As these emotions are completely normal, keeping your calm will help you act on the situation effectively. Maintaining your composure can help you fight manipulation, make rational decisions, and stay alert. In the event of gaslighting, try practicing mindfulness:
Calm yourself down by taking deep, slow breaths. Give yourself a pep Use visualization techniques. Count up to 100 to center yourself.
3. Preserve Your Space And Energy
Gaslighting can be overwhelming and stressful for the victim. In such instances, it is advised to take a mental break and move away from the situation. Taking your own personal space can help you calm down and bring some focus and clarity to your mind. By preserving your space and energy, you are also keeping yourself sane.
4. Trust Your Instinct
Intuition is a very strong and powerful sense that helps you to avoid danger and can possibly lead you to the correct path. It is easier to sow seeds of doubt in a person with a poor instinct or gut feeling. Hence strengthening this part of your psyche is important to help you break free from the shackles of gaslighting. Here are some benefits of tuning in your gut:
It can improve our understanding of ourselves Help us make better decisions Keep low stress-levels Maintain calm in anxiety or stress enduring situations.
Hence, believing in the old saying “your intuition is being true to yourself” is a lesson to be practiced.
5. Stand Your Ground
A gaslighter is constantly in the pursuit of control over your thoughts and feelings. This is usually achieved by manipulating facts and events and invalidating the victim’s perception. To avoid this, stand firm and trust that your part of the story is important. This involves believing in what you have seen, heard, and felt and not owning up to your abuser’s perception.
6. Keep A Record
Journaling through the process of gaslighting is useful for victims who feel misled and confused about their own thoughts and feelings. Keeping a record of your truth can prevent you from getting manipulated by your abuser, shed some clarity on the situation, and help you process and validate your emotions. Journaling such instances should involve penning down details like:
The abuser’s patterns of behavior. Describing situations of getting gaslit. Noting down any statements said by the abuser. Your actions and feelings towards the situation.
7. Seek Professional Support
Talking to a mental health professional can be a good option to recover from the effects of gaslighting. A therapist can acknowledge your pain, help you rebuild your self-esteem, fosters confidence, enlighten you with insight, and help you gain control over your own life. Getting outside advice is important since your perception of the situation may be clouded. A professional can give you a more objective opinion of what is going on and remind you of your worth since the gaslighting may make you question your skills and take away your confidence.
8. Set Personal Boundaries
Setting personal boundaries in relationships that involve gaslighting is crucial. Usually, in gaslighting relationships, the abuser violates your boundaries by dictating how you must feel, think, or act in a situation. An abuser will find ways to induce anxiety and confusion into the mind of the victim in an attempt to overpower them. Such signs of manipulation and control can only be stopped if one creates personal boundaries. Is gaslighting normal in a relationship? No. Gaslighting is a common type of abuse in toxic relationships. There is no gaslighting in a healthy relationship. How do you destroy a gaslighter? The most effective approach to stop a gaslighter is to act cool when they try to manipulate you. They enjoy getting a rise out of you. Therefore, it frustrates them when they don’t get the response they were hoping for. They will probably try to persuade you that they will change once they realize you no longer care, but don’t fall for it.
