6 signs someone is emotionally manipulating you but making it seem like you're the problem - Silicon Canals

"Have you ever walked away from an argument feeling like the bad guy, even though something didn't feel quite right? Like you were somehow wrong for bringing up your concerns in the first place? I've been there; that sinking feeling in your stomach when someone turns your legitimate complaint into evidence of your own shortcomings. You start questioning yourself: Maybe I am too sensitive. Maybe I am asking for too much. Maybe the problem really is me."

"After interviewing over 200 people for various articles and going through my own journey with therapy after a difficult breakup, I've learned to recognize these patterns. What often feels like our own inadequacy is actually someone else's manipulation tactics at work. The most dangerous part? Skilled emotional manipulators don't just hurt you. They convince you that you're hurting yourself. They twist reality until you can't tell which way is up anymore."

"You work up the courage to tell someone they hurt you, and suddenly the conversation becomes about their pain instead. Sound familiar? I once had a friend who did this every single time. When I told her that her constant comparisons of our careers made me uncomfortable, she burst into tears about how hard her life was and how lucky I was to not understand her struggles. By the end of the conversation, I was comforting her and apologizing for bringing it up."

Emotional manipulators use tactics that turn legitimate complaints into evidence of the victim's shortcomings, prompting self-doubt and shame. These tactics include playing the victim, shifting focus onto their own pain, and framing the other person as overly sensitive or unreasonable. Repeated exposure conditions people to stop voicing needs and to apologize for expressing feelings. Skilled manipulators twist reality and convince targets they are the source of the problem. Recognizing patterns such as victim-playing and blame-shifting enables people to reclaim their perspective and escape toxic dynamics. Awareness of these signs can prevent long-term emotional harm.

Read at Silicon Canals