"Gaslighting has become a popular term; it is not just manipulation but an assault on the right to one's own mind. The wound is not simply confusion and control; it's the forced collapse of subjectivity. People who gaslight do so much harm to others, all in the name of saving themselves. Gaslighters tend to have a very fragile sense of themselves and their place in the world."
"Psychoanalyst R. D. Laing defines ontology as existing as a real, continuous person in relation to others in the world. This requires being accepted and seen as yourself by others, a recognition that your subjectivity is valid. Gaslighting represents a collapse of this intersubjective field. It is not simply lying or manipulation but a form of psychological violence. Daniel Shaw, a therapist and cult survivor,"
Gaslighting functions as an attack on a person's ability to feel real and continuous in relation to others by systematically denying perceptions, rewriting memories, and shaming emotions. Gaslighters often act from a fragile self-structure, distorting others' thinking to neutralize perceived external threats and preserve psychic stability. Ontological recognition—being accepted and seen as a valid subject—is essential for continuity of self, and gaslighting collapses that intersubjective field. Traumatic relational systems enlist the victim's mind to stabilize the aggressor, producing a trauma of being that can lead to dissociation, numbness, and a fragmented sense of self.
Read at Psychology Today
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