From family and romantic connections to workplace interactions, gaslighting can manifest in any relationship. In this article, we have discussed gaslighting parents, signs of toxic behaviors, and how to overcome gaslighting from parents. Keep reading for more information. Billy further adds, “The gaslighting parent could deny events even happened, particularly ones that were hurtful to their children. Also, there is usually a tendency to re-frame a child’s actions as something wrong or bad, particularly in the sense that it blames the child for something that the gaslighting parent is actually to blame.” Dr. Julia Renedo, licensed clinical psychologist, says, “A parent who gaslights typically exhibits other characteristics of either narcissism or borderline personality disorder. Children with parents who gaslight them will commonly internalize the confusion and emotional pain which they will eventually experience as deep personal shame, insecurity and suffer from very low self-esteem.” Moreover, gaslighting makes children feel they lack something and question their sanity. It might leave major scars like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. When someone grows up with everything they say questioned, dismissed as inappropriate, or criticized as wrong, they begin to doubt their worth. Kids who are gaslighted grow into insecure adults, ill-equipped to navigate adult relationships. “That never happened…” “What if I am remembering it wrong?” “Maybe I am crazy!” Have these thoughts crossed your mind after a heated discussion with your parents? If yes, unfortunately, you likely have abusive parents and are experiencing gaslighting. Check out our next section for clear signs of gaslighting parents and their unhealthy traits.

Signs Of Gaslighting Parents

 1. Lie, Deny, Or Question Your Memories If your parents deny, lie, or question your memories or subjective experience, you are being gaslighted. You constantly feel that you have to defend reality, and your trust in your self-intuition erodes. Also, you may feel confused about whether you are on good terms to reassure yourself. Your parents may blatantly tell you that they did not do or say anything. For instance, they may question the child’s reality or create doubt that they can see things clearly or understand the world around them. You will often find your parents uttering, “I never said that, you must’ve imagined it.”, “That never happened.”, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I’m not angry.” If your parents said or did things that they later denied or lied about, it is a sign of gaslighting. This leads to questioning your perception and memory of what actually happened. Also, it keeps you feeling off-balance and confused. Therefore, planting doubt is detrimental to a child’s self-confidence and can create insecure kids. 2. Minimize Or Invalidate Your Feelings Gaslighting parents tend to make their child feel worse about the difficult situation – be it a mistake, failure, or daily stress. Instead of being emotionally supportive, they dismiss, reject, and invalidate their child’s feelings. This behavior clearly indicates gaslighting. If parents trivialize their child’s feelings, it implies their lived experience is insignificant or unacceptable. This can confuse the child, generate self-doubt, and feel they are going crazy.  Denial of feelings means your parents want to reinforce that you are wrong, overreacting, or lying. It is a manipulative tactic to turn things in their favor and blame the victim. 3. Downplay Your Success And Achievements Parents that gaslight tend to actively undermine their child’s success and accomplishments. If your parents are never satisfied with your academic grades, career choices, and professional achievements, they may be pushing you away and gaslighting you. As a result, you might feel down, unfulfilled, and frustrated. Without cheers and appreciation from parents for their efforts, a child may feel emotionally drained by getting nothing in return. On the flip side, your parents might react dramatically to control you and make you change your mind. They will diminish achievements that signify your independence, threaten never to speak to you, or throw your belongings out.

If you confront your gaslighting parents about their toxic behavior, they will make false accusations and hold you responsible for things you do not know about. They seldom take accountability for their actions and decisions, and try to shift the blame upon children. Toxic parents reject their role in the troubles and want to turn things around on the child, making them believe they are the wrong ones screwing up the situation. Eventually, the child internalizes these accusations and fosters negative beliefs about themselves. 5. Always Play the Victim Card Gaslighting in parents prevents them from seeing their part in life problems. Instead, they believe their children happen to be the cause of their troubles and tend to wreak havoc in their lives. Playing the victim card is a common trait among parents who are covert narcissists, psychopaths, and gaslighters. Abusive and toxic parents chronically feel like a victim without an apt agency to come out of this bitterness. They are unwilling to break old patterns and use gaslighting to cover their insecurities. For instance, gaslighting parents may blame their kids for increasing stress levels, project their personal issues, and scold them for how they feel. Gaslighting is an emotionally abusive tactic that makes the victim question their sanity and perception of reality. Here are some life-saving strategies you can adopt to survive your parent’s gaslighting. Scroll down!

How To Deal With Gaslighting Parents

Remain defiant and do not allow your parents to alter your lived experience, feelings, and memories. You know what you know. Be resilient and do not let your parents bully you. Develop healthy detachment and coping mechanisms as early as possible. Distinguish between the world of the gaslighters and your real world. Let your parents have their alternative facts, but you stick to reality. Maintain a journal and write things that happened. Organize the events and what you feel about them on the pages to make sense of the chaos. Champion freedom of speech – say what it needed to be said. Validate your reality and trust your version of what happened, even if it is disputed. This will be your testimony and an act of redemption. Learn to set boundaries and try not to react. Establish a support network and seek help from friends or other family members who understands what you are experiencing. Stop rewarding the behavior you do not like by saying goodbye, hanging up the phone, or excusing yourself to take a walk. Instead, lay the ground rule that you will listen, but your parents must not discount your feelings and memories. Get some space, meditate, and take a break. Dedicate time to relax, practice wellness, and improve your physical and mental health. Snap communication ties if you are an adult. Choose when to call, text, and visit your parents. Recognize there will never be accountability. Therefore, stop asserting yourself because parents acknowledging their toxic, damaging actions is not in the cards. Let go of the wish for it to be different. Do not engage with people who gaslight you and put yourself first.

Valentina Dragomir, a psychotherapist, and life coach, lists a couple of healthy things to deal with a gaslighting parent. Let’s look at what they are:

“Know the signs of gaslighting and be mindful of are. If your parents do this regularly, then expect it will come again at some point.” “If you feel like your parents are putting words into your mouth, then clear it up, make your statement again.” “Confront them, look at the facts. Know your truth, and if you need to, do a fact check. You can ask other people you trust for their opinion if they witnessed the situation.” “Set appropriate boundaries. If you feel that your experience is denied, be aware of what and how you feel and communicate your feelings. Nobody can tell you how you feel. Your feelings are your own.”

What are some gaslighting phrases? Although a gaslighting parent can isolate you, you need not go through it alone. If needed, you may seek help from close family and friends, even therapists and counselors. Make sure to set healthy boundaries with your parents and practice self-care. A few gaslighting phrases are “you are overreacting,” “I was joking, you took it seriously,” “I’m sorry you felt hurt by what I said,” and “Are you sure I said that or did you imagine it?” Are gaslighters mentally ill? Some people with mental disorders like narcissistic personality disorder may have gaslight as a prominent symptom. However, there are cases where the victim of a gaslighter faces more mental stress and exhaustion. What are the long-term effects of gaslighting? A victim of gaslighting can face tremendous stress and anxiety. Gaslighters make you question yourself, your thoughts, and your actions. They make their victims feel like they are crazy and imagining things, which seriously affects their mental health.

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