302: Gaslighting 101

The Michelle Chalfant Show — Life from the Adult Chair

02/17/22 • 26 min

You love them, and you think they love you...so why does it feel like you’re going crazy so often in your relationship?

You leave conversations feeling confused, questioning your reality and maybe even questioning your own sanity.

You might be in a relationship with a gaslighter.

Gaslighting is a term that is thrown around frequently, but it is far more than someone questioning us or challenging us. Gaslighting is intentional, manipulative and designed to whittle away someone’s self-confidence. In short, it’s abuse.

Though gaslighting often happens in romantic relationships with narcissists, it can also happen in friendships and family relationships, with men and women and with people who don’t struggle with narcissistic traits but who might struggle with control issues or other mental disorders.

In this episode, I’m sharing what gaslighting is, what it looks like in real life and ways to tell if you’re being gaslighted.

Listen to discover:

What gaslighting is
What it looks like and sounds like
5 tactics of a gaslighter
2 signs you might be in a relationship with a gaslighter
What to do if you're being gaslighted

The term “gaslighting” actually comes from a 1944 movie about a man who tries to make his wife think she’s going insane...and that is exactly how being gaslighted feels – crazy making!

If you are experiencing this type of abuse, you can start the healing process by building up self-worth and finding people who can help guide you back to what is true about you and your life. The more connected you are to yourself, the better you will be able to see what is real and what is not and make decisions about how to move forward.

"Gaslighting – let's be clear – it's abusive." - Michelle Chalfant

"If someone is gaslighting you, you're going to feel confused, and confused a lot." - Michelle Chalfant

"Gaslighting is all about manipulation, power and control." - Michelle Chalfant

"'I'm sorry you feel that way,' is not an apology." - Michelle Chalfant

"When the person that you love keeps speaking to you like this, it wears you down." - Michelle Chalfant

"A gaslighter is the eternal victim." - Michelle Chalfant

"If someone is gaslighting you, stay in your own reality. Do not challenge them...you'll never win." - Michelle Chalfant

LINKS & RESOURCES

Episode #301: Narcissism 101: What It Is & How To Heal It

https://theadultchair.com/podcasts/301/

The Adult Chair® Private Facebook Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair/