By Ana Braga
Have you heard of gaslighting? Gaslighting is a colloquialism defined as manipulating someone into questioning their own perception of reality, according to Wikipedia. It’s a fairly new word from the 2010’s but it has been used a lot lately. I feel it gives bullies new ammunition, causing confusion, self doubt and psychological harm. The problem with bullies, gaslighters, narcissistic personalities, is that they walk amongst us. What are the statistics? Every 3 out of 4 people are gaslighters? It sure feels that way sometimes. How can we protect ourselves so we can avoid being gaslighted? I don’t think we can and I’m afraid our world/society is going to get much worse. No one is really ringing the alarm on this issue and that’s a problem.
The dangerous part is, not realizing you’re being manipulated or gaslighted until is too late. The perpetrator will have you tangled in their web thinking it’s all your fault and the more you fight the web, the more tangled you get. Some people or family members have been gaslighting us before the word even came to light, pretty scary if I may say so.
A way to protect yourself is, recognizing the first red flags and establishing boundaries, we must stop making excuses for people we know and love. A red flag most likely will become a pattern, when people show you who they are, believe them.
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