Like a flickering porch light casting an erratic light along a political path of twisted truths, the word Gaslighting is back in the news.
Two years ago, Merriam–Webster Dictionary named “Gaslighting” as the Word of the Year stating, “The increase in dictionary lookups for gaslighting is striking. In our age of misinformation — ‘fake news,’ conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deepfakes — gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time. Lookups for the word, “gaslighting” on Merriam-Webster.com increased 1,740% this year. ‘Gaslighting’ named 2022 Word of the Year by Merriam-Webster – ABC News (go.com)
As an overcomer stepping out of the shadow of addiction and co-addiction, gaslighting, for me, was painful psychological and emotional abuse. I believed the addict when he said, I was the one who started all the confrontations. I was the one with all the problems. I was the crazy one in the family. I believed his accusations, and like a dry sponge, I absorbed his poor self-image as my own.
That was before I knew or heard about the term Gaslighting. Since I began attending 12-step support meetings, I have become more aware of the harmful gaslighting manipulation filling social media. My goal is to continue following the spiritual awakening of the 12th step by carrying this message to others.
If you feel like someone is slowly and systematically messing with your head, I pray you’ll care enough about yourself to take five minutes to watch this informative video. When you understand the dynamics of the subtle manipulation of gaslighting, you will find the empowerment to move forward.
Don’t miss God in all of this. Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in” (John 8:12 MSG).
