Gaslighting
1: psychological manipulation of a person, usually over a period of time, causing them to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality or memories, and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependence on the perpetrator.
2: the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.
Key Elements of Gaslighting
- Using confusion and mixed messages to keep you off balance.
- Making you doubt your sanity, perceptions and judgement.
- Periods of withholding of intimacy followed by periods of “love bombing” to give you hope and keep you attached.
- Encourages their victim to reveal their fears and/or most personal feelings and then weaponizes them to gain emotional control.
- Recalls events with a false version storyline to create an opportunity for blame-shifting.
- Grandiose future-faking to keep their victim hooked and hopeful without any true intention of following through.
Healing After Narcissistic Abuse: My Story 