If “That’s Not What Happened” Rings a Bell, You‘re 99% Gaslighted.

The hidden manipulation that drives us crazy.

Photo by Naomi August on Unsplash

“You’re remembering things wrong.” Said my boss, to whom I delivered a detailed, well-written PowerPoint presentation but still somehow found a way to convince me I forgot to include a slide with some extra information, which was obviously not shared.

“Did you send me an e-mail with that extra information you wanted me to include?” I asked in a pointless effort to point out his wrongness.

“You don’t need an e-mail. We talked about it on Tuesday; you just forgot about it. You’ll have to redo it.”

I was shaking. I clearly remember what was said and what wasn’t. But, oh, well, how do I prove them wrong?

I knew what was happening.

It happened before when my ex tried to convince me that his behavior was my fault. Or when my dad wondered why I couldn’t be more like my brother. Or when my best friend in high school humiliated one of our group friends and put the blame on me, claiming that I had started the rumor.

Gaslighting is a type of hidden manipulation that can harm our mental and emotional well-being. What scares me most about it is that it often goes unnoticed until the point that we question our sanity…