Gaslighting: This is how you recognize emotional manipulation - and free yourself from it

Have you ever been in a dispute situation in which youperceptioncould no longer trust because you signaled something completely different from you? Who is right, who is wrong? Did I behave wrongly or was it my partner? Such uncertainties in communication can be normal - if they take over, but can also beIndicate behavioral patterns:Gaslighting.

The term gaslighting comes from the play "Gas Light" from 1938. In it, a man tries to drive his wife crazy by systematically questioning her perception. For example, he manipulates the gas lantern and does not believe his wife if she notices the change in brightness. And that's exactly what Gaslighting is:Disable communication, in which someoneintentionally devaluedor forinvalidis explained. "Someone is manipulated by describing his or her perception as false or the person too sensitive," explains Dr. Christa Roth-Sackenheim, specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.

And that can't just be inLove relationshipspass, in any toxic-,Family- orEmployment relationshipGaslighting is possible. Often, however, there is a certain one between the participantshierarchy, such as B. a big oneAge differenceand aPower gapsAs with boss and employed, teacher and students.

According to non -fiction author Bärbel Wardetzki, people who manipulative gas lights are not particularly empathetic and willcontrolhave about others. The strategies of gas lights often have common ground. According to the authorlike to see self -doubt, pretend to empathy, to question memories and the perception of the other person, claim certain things untrue and devalue those affected by not reacting or changing the topic. Sentences like"You exaggerate again"or"You are too sensitive/hysterical"fall frequently.

Important: Every now and then such things happen in a dispute - this is different from gaslighting. “Gaslighting is thatContinuous manipulation, Part of a conscious and permanentStrategy“, Says Christa Roth-Sackenheim. "It sows self -doubt by taking advantage of the fact that we are people social beings for whom the opinion of others is of great importance," she explains.

That is why it is so difficult to recognize real gas lighting for those affected. It is usually a gradual process in which manipulation slowly increases. A possible warning signal is according to WADDETZKI if you always inside yourselftorn,unsureandconfusedfeels. One wonders all the time whether one's own perception is wrong, or that of the gaslight. "Sacrifice of Gaslighting often have the feeling that they cannot do anything right," she says. Another important sign: “It is requiredabout the family or friendcancel.. " From this point it becomes particularly dangerous for those affected, since a missing community, it makes it completely isolated and more open to further manipulation.

There is no perfect strategy to protect yourself from gaslighting - everyone can hit it. Those affected long for love and recognition, a wish that all people probably share. “Often you think that love can only be preserved by adapting. This enables Gaslighting, ”explains Wardetzki. It therefore encourages theto trust your own perceptionAnd to stay with your own truth. As soon as the first signs of Gaslighting can be felt, it is advisable,To look for helpand theRit relationship.

HelpAnd find support victims of gaslighting inPsychological advice centers, psychotherapeutic practicesor at the beginning with theTelephone pastoral care. Psychotherapy is primarily for those affectedOr panic attacks sensible that can be created by long gas lighting.