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The One Sentence That’ll Stop a Gaslighter in their Tracks
“You’re entitled to your version of events.
Have you ever dealt with someone who routinely said or did sketchy, mean, or downright awful things to you — only to turn around and deny that they ever happened in the first place? If so, then you’ve probably had a run-in with a gaslighter.
But what is gaslighting, exactly?
According to Dr. Gabriela Sadurni Rodriguez of The Psychology Group, it’s “a subtle form of emotional manipulation that often results in the recipient doubting their perception of reality and their sanity.”
Over the long term, gaslighters cause you to doubt your own judgment more broadly and can lead you to developing anxiety, depression, and/or deep psychological trauma.
In the short term, gaslighting is confusing to those who don’t yet recognize they’re being gaslit. And for those of us who are aware of the phenomenon and have identified the people in our lives who are doing it to us, it’s nothing short of maddening.
But regardless of which category you fall into, remember one thing the next time you’re being gaslit. Gaslighters are often narcissists, which means that reacting to them in an angry, frustrated, confused, or desperate-to-explain-yourself manner — plays right into their hands.
