Does your partner say things like…
“You’re crazy, that never happened.”
“Are you sure? You are being so dramatic.”
“It’s all in your head, you’re imagining all of it.”
Do you often start questioning your own perception of reality?
Are you questioning your own sanity?
If so, your partner may be using what mental health professionals call “GASLIGHTING.”
This term comes from the 1938 stage play ”Gas Light” in which a husband attempts to drive his wife crazy by dimming the lights which were powered by gas in their home and then he denies that the light changed when his wife points it out. It is an extremely effective form of emotional abuse that causes a victim to question their own feelings, instincts, and sanity, which gives the abusive partner a lot of power, and we know that abuse is all about maintaining and gaining power and control. Once an abusive partner has broken down the victim’s ability to trust their own perceptions and judgments the victim is more likely to stay in the abusive relationship.