RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

How do you know if you need help? During the past year the United States has suffered several tragedies, including the Oklahoma tornados, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Sandy Hook School massacre, Hurricane Sandy, and the Aurora, Colorado shooting. With each passing...

SUFFER FROM LOW SELF-ESTEEM? CONSIDER A FEMINIST THERAPIST

A very common reason clients begin psychotherapy is to improve low self-esteem. While low self-esteem isn’t in mental health providers’ diagnostic “bible” of mental disorders (called the DSM-5), self-esteem issues can wreak havoc in multiple domains of a person’s life...

BRINGING GASLIGHTING TO LIGHT, PART I

“You’re crazy…” “You’re just being emotional…” Sound familiar? If so, you may have experienced gaslighting, a sneaky, difficult-to-identify form of manipulation (and in severe cases, emotional abuse). The term “gaslighting” originated from Patrick Hamilton’s...

BRINGING GASLIGHTING TO LIGHT, PART II

As discussed in Part I, gaslighting is defined as “a sneaky, difficult-to-identify form of manipulation (and in severe cases, emotional abuse)” that results in the gaslightee questioning his or her own perception, experiences, and even reality. In severe cases, this...

10 SIGNS OF GASLIGHTING, PART III

My last post (“Bringing Gaslighting to Light, Part II”) discussed why gaslighters gaslight, and the contextual factors that can lead to gaslighting. In this post, the focus shifts to the gaslightees. Gaslighting is defined as a form of manipulation (on the...