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Episode 36 - Our Boyfriend, Our Abuser, Episode 3: Gaslighting - Am I Going Crazy? | 1-800 CHATLINE
1800 CHATLINE · 1 ноября 2026 г. · 50 мин
On Episode 36 of 1-800 CHATLINE… we're asking a question so many people in emotionally abusive relationships find themselves asking: Am I going crazy? Welcome back to Our Boyfriend, Our Abuser , a special series exploring domestic violence, emotional abuse, coercive control and relationship red flags. Amy Dickinson is joined by Taylor Davies, who dated the same man at a different time. After discovering their shared experiences, they're unpacking the psychological dynamics they now recognise and how their confidence in their own reality was gradually undermined. Because sometimes, the most damaging part of an abusive relationship is being made to question whether your own experiences are even real. 🖤 GASLIGHTING: AM I GOING CRAZY? Amy and Taylor explore gaslighting, a pattern of psychological manipulation that can cause someone to question their own memory, perception and judgement. From having experiences denied to being told they were insane, irrational or mentally unwell, they discuss how repeated manipulation can erode self-trust and leave you questioning your own reality. 🎙️ IN THIS EPISODE: • What gaslighting is and how it differs from ordinary disagreements • How we started questioning our own reality • Epistemic trust: Why we began believing someone else's version of events over our own • Cognitive dissonance: Wanting to believe someone is good while experiencing behaviour that contradicts it • Denial, minimisation and conversations being turned around • Being called crazy, insane, mentally ill or delusional • Hypervigilance: Constantly monitoring someone's moods and reactions • Learned helplessness: When you stop trying to explain yourself because you no longer believe you'll be heard • How gaslighting affects confidence, self-trust and our perception of reality • Recognising the patterns and rebuilding trust in ourselves 💭 WHY GASLIGHTING IS SO HARD TO RECOGNISE Gaslighting isn't simply two people remembering an argument differently. It's a repeated pattern of behaviour that undermines someone's confidence in their own memory, perception or judgement. When someone repeatedly denies your experiences, challenges your credibility or redirects conversations until you're questioning yourself, you can gradually begin trusting their version of reality more than your own. We unpack the psychology behind these dynamics, why we started doubting ourselves and how we eventually stopped trusting our own judgement. 🖤 IF YOU'RE HERE FOR: • Gaslighting and psychological manipulation • Emotional abuse and abusive relationship red flags • Cognitive dissonance and epistemic trust • Hypervigilance and learned helplessness • Why you constantly question yourself in a relationship • Rebuilding self-trust after emotional abuse • Domestic violence awareness and survivor stories …this episode is for you. A NOTE ON SUPPORT If anything discussed in this episode resonates with you, you don't have to navigate it alone. 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA — DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT 📞 1800RESPECT: Call 1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 732 for free, confidential, 24/7 support. https://www.1800respect.org.au ⚖️ Women's Legal Service Queensland: Free legal assistance for women, including domestic violence and family law. Call 1800 957 957 (Monday–Friday, 9 am–3 pm). https://wlsq.org.au 🚨 If you are in immediate danger, call 000. You don't have to be certain that what you're experiencing is abuse to reach out for support. 🎧 1-800 CHATLINE — where we fuel your intrusive thoughts. Follow 1-800 CHATLINE on Spotify so you don't miss the next episode of Our Boyfriend, Our Abuser . Make the opening more emotionally grip