![]() ![]() ![]() Non-HSPs can be incredibly insightful and thoughtful as well, but they typically don’t process the little things in life quite as deeply as HSPs do. In my personal experience, I believe people unintentionally gaslight HSPs because they feel threatened by their insight. After all, what kind of friend or parent or partner listens to you, and, rather than accepting you for who you are, figures that you’re simply wrong and they’re right? Why isn’t it okay for us to be different? They simply do not see the world the way we do, and to them, the only logical explanation for why our worldview differs from theirs is because we must be too sensitive or looking for meaning that doesn’t exist.Įven though it isn’t intentional in an abusive way, it can still be incredibly toxic. Our friends and family aren’t trying to make us feel crazy and insecure. ![]() In many cases, this gaslighting isn’t intentional, at least not in an abusive way. Unintentional Gaslighting Is Still Gaslighting Have you ever been involved in what seemed like a perfectly pleasant conversation, sharing your insight, when someone suddenly said you were “reading too much into it,” or being “too sensitive” or “dramatic”? That’s incredibly common for HSPs, and it’s a form of gaslighting that can take a toll on our psyches. When HSPs try to explain what they see or think, they may be dismissed. The trouble is, other people often overlook those same details or they see them as meaningless. HSPs notice minute details and find meaning in those details. This becomes even more difficult when you’re an HSP and the whole world sometimes seems to be gaslighting you by telling you what you experience can’t possibly be the whole truth or all that bad. When other people are manipulating you into thinking you’re crazy, it’s hard to argue against that version of reality. Gaslighting is difficult to identify by its very nature. The term originated from the 1939 play “Gaslight.” In it, a husband slowly makes his wife believe she is going insane by telling her that what she sees - the gaslights dimming - isn’t real in order to hide the criminal things he does behind her back. Gaslighting is a form of manipulation wherein someone makes you question your sanity or your version of reality. And, when we don’t realize we have this trait, it can be hard to understand why the world seems so overwhelming or why we seem to think so differently from the people around us. (Not sure if you’re an HSP? Here are 21 signs that you are.)īeing an HSP gives me superpowers, but it also brings challenges. But it took me a long time to realize that’s what was happening. As such, I already see the world a little differently than most people, and it makes it easy for my experiences to be dismissed. I’m a highly sensitive person (HSP), someone who has a biological trait that makes me extra aware of stimuli and more likely to process things very deeply. I have a lot of experience with gaslighting. If you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive” or you’re “reading too much into it,” it’s probably gaslighting. ![]()
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