In the 1944 movie Gaslight, a young woman named Paula played by Ingrid Bergman meets a handsome and charming Gregory Anton, played by Charles Boyer. Paula experiences “love-bombing” in a whirlwind romance which quickly sweeps her off her feet and everything she knows as a foundation in life. Within a short amount of time, Paula becomes Mrs. Gregory Anton. Overtime, Gregory convinces Paula that she is losing her mind in a variety of ways, including trying to make her believe that the gaslights aren’t flickering when they are. Paula is one the verge of insanity when the story takes a turn and eventually she is vindicated fully. This movie coined the term “gaslighting” for when someone is intentionally attempting to discredit the sanity of someone else and cause that person to distrust their own sense of reality.
Paula put her trust entirely into Gregory. She has no reason not to believe him and his assertive, aggressive authority when he ensures her that she is losing her mind. Without even the slightest bit of doubt, which is ever decreasing, Paula can’t think that she isn’t going mad. She trusts Gregory implicitly, thus blinding her to his manipulative tactics. Nobody in Paula’s life is available to tell her what is going on, because Gregory has isolated her from everyone else in her life. Day by day, Paula slips into deeper uncertainty. Until a third party person comes along to convince her of her autonomous agency and healthy state of mind, Paula cannot see that she is being gaslighted.
Many men and women who are being gaslighted are like Paula before the arrival of a third party person. Such individuals live under a constant state of manipulation, slowly being convicted they have lost their minds. All of their awareness is gone, until is it presented to them by someone else. Meaning, if you are in a relationship where you are being gaslighted, there is a very good chance you may not know. Others with a final grain of awareness have intentionally set up their manipulators in order to discover their abusive tactics. Generally speaking, if you feel like you are somewhat sure you are not losing your mind, yet someone in your life is convincing you of such, you are potentially in a dangerous, traumatizing, toxic situation.
Thankfully, recovery is available for everyone who seeks it. Everyone has a story of trauma to tell. Once we share our story, our transformation begins. Call The Guest House Ocala today for information on our treatment programs for trauma, addictions, and related mental health issues.
Everyone’s story starts before treatment. Everyone’s story changes the minute they arrive to treatment. The Guest House Ocala offers residential programming for trauma, addictions, and related mental health issues, customized to meet your unique needs. Call us today for information on life at the estate: 1-855-483-7800