Confusion is a Clue: Gaslighting and Manipulation

Confusion Is a Clue: Gaslighting & Manipulation
* ESTABLISHED MEMBERS ONLY!*
If this is your first time here, please sign up for a First Timers event.
This is a support group for survivors of abusive, controlling, or unhealthy relationships. This session will focus on gaslighting and manipulation — and the confusion and self-doubt they can leave behind.
Have you ever walked away from a conversation wondering what just happened? Found yourself apologizing when you were originally the person who was hurt? Questioned whether you remembered something correctly, whether you were “too sensitive,” or whether you were actually the problem? Feeling like you are “crazy?”
Sometimes confusion itself is a clue.
We’ll talk about experiences such as having your reality denied or rewritten, conversations that go in circles, blame shifting, moving goalposts, guilt and obligation, DARVO, contradictory behavior, and other patterns that can leave you questioning your own judgment.
We’ll also talk about an important distinction: not every disagreement, misunderstanding, lie, or differing memory is gaslighting. Rather than trying to diagnose or label another person, we’ll focus on patterns of behavior, their impact on us, and how we can begin trusting our own perceptions again.
As always, this is an informal, supportive place to vent, talk, listen, and share as much or as little as you’re comfortable with.
Your organizer - Sarah
HR extraordinaire (the pro-employee kind who genuinely believes in and advocates for employee rights), visual artist, eternal optimist, and survivor of both childhood and intimate partner abuse. I’m also in recovery from C-PTSD and firmly believe that every one of us is capable of healing, building healthier relationships, and creating a better life for ourselves.
My hope for this group is that together we can learn to recognize patterns in our experiences, trust our own perceptions, and strengthen our discernment, responses, and boundaries — while supporting each other through all the messy parts along the way.
* SONA GROUP RULES*
Please take the time to review these points before joining:

1. I am not a mental health counselor, licensed counselor, doctor, or coordinator. I am simply someone who has had a similar experience to the people who meet in these groups. No advice or suggestions here should be taken as medical advice. You may discuss coping mechanisms you have learned or medications that have worked for you, but nothing discussed in this group is intended for diagnosis or treatment. Please consult an appropriate medical or mental health professional regarding your individual needs. This is a support group, not a therapy group. If you are in immediate danger, suicidal, or otherwise experiencing a crisis, please contact emergency services or an appropriate crisis resource.
2. I am not an attorney. Nothing said or discussed by me or anyone else in this group should be construed as legal advice. We may share potentially helpful legal resources or personal experiences, but decisions involving law enforcement, courts, restraining orders, attorneys, or other legal matters should be made based on your individual circumstances and, when appropriate, advice from a qualified professional.
3. Please remember that not everyone’s experiences are your own. People experience abuse differently, cope differently, react differently, and find different things helpful. Please treat your group mates and their experiences with respect. We can share what helped us without telling someone else what they must do.
4. Solicitation is not allowed. We occasionally share free resources, and members are welcome to share informational resources relevant to our discussions. However, we do not allow sales pitches for MLM products, classes, tools, therapy groups, medications, pamphlets, booklets, services, or other products.
5. Discussions may include many forms of abuse and potentially triggering topics. We will approach these conversations with as much sensitivity as possible, but we cannot control everything another group member may share. You are always welcome to step away, take a break, or choose not to participate in a particular discussion.
6. We encourage members to connect and make friends outside the group when everyone involved is comfortable doing so. If you feel you’ve made a connection with another member, please message the organizer, who can approach them about exchanging contact information. Please do not privately contact members to pressure them, push beliefs or information, or otherwise disregard their boundaries.