Gas Lighting

Gaslighting is a form of manipulation that often occurs in abusive relationships. It is a covert type of emotional abuse where the bully or abuser misleads the target, creating a false narrative and making them question their judgments and reality.

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Withholding

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The abusive partner pretends not to understand or refuses to listen.

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Forgetting/Denial

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The abusive partner pretends to have forgotten what actually occurred or denies things like promises made to the victim.

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Blocking/Diverting

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The abusive partner changes the subject and/or questions the victim’s thoughts.

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The abusive partner questions the victim’s memory of events, even when the victim remembers them accurately.

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Countering

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The abusive partner questions the victim’s memory of events, even when the victim remembers them accurately.

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Lying

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The abuser partner blatantly lies and never back down or change's their stories, even when you call them out or provide proof of their deception.

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Shift Blaming

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Blame-shifting is another common gaslighting tactic. Every discussion you have is somehow twisted to where you are to blame for something that occurred. Even when you try to discuss how the abuser's behaviour makes you feel, they're able to twist the conversation so that you end up questioning if you are the cause of their bad behaviour.

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