psychology
Tell-Tale Signs You Are Being Gaslighted
You’re crazy, that never happened. Don’t be so sensitive. I’ve never had this problem with anyone else but you. It was never my idea, it was yours! Come on, you’re imagining things. Everyone else agrees, except you. You’re just making things up.
These are just some of the things you might hear when someone is gaslighting you. It usually happens whenever you confront them about their bad behavior, only to have your reality twisted in return…in ways that can really make your head spin!
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse that most often shows up in toxic romantic relationships, but it can also manifest in dynamics with friends, coworkers, employers, family members, and even neighbors and landlords.
At its core, gaslighting is the manipulation of your sense of reality, leaving you confused, anxious, and doubting yourself and your own perceptions. Sometimes it’s very obvious and unmistakable. Other times, it happens so subtly you may not even realize you’re being manipulated.
The term “gaslighting” comes from the 1938 stage play Gas Light, which was later made into the 1944 film of the same name.
In the story, a husband tricks his wealthy wife into thinking she’s going crazy by making small changes to their surroundings, like dimming the gas lights, and then denying that anything has changed. His goal is to make her doubt her own sanity, so he could have her committed to a mental institution and gain control of her inheritance.
Nurturing Soul Bonds Beyond Rational Understanding
Psychology has provided us with invaluable tools for navigating life’s challenges. It helps us understand ourselves and each other, improves our communication, and builds stronger relationships. Whether we’re managing stress, boosting emotional intelligence, or making better decisions at work or at home, psychological insights guide us toward healthier, more connected lives.
However, there’s another layer to our existence that studying the mind alone can’t fully reach. While psychology breaks things down into patterns and causes, the soul deals in ongoing, heart-to-heart connections that go beyond intellectual discussion and analysis.
Psychology can explain why we feel anxious, how old wounds still affect us, and which coping strategies we tend to use. This kind of insight can spark real change.
However, understanding alone stops at the intellectual level. It doesn’t inspire the deeper truths and wisdom that make us feel truly alive and connected.
This is where ‘soul care,’ rather than analysis or therapy, offers a different path.
Rather than observing ourselves and others as case studies, soul care invites us to honor all our relationships — past, present, and future, as well as beyond this life — with warmth and continuity. It invites us to see friends, family, teachers, and deceased loved ones as conscious, eternal presences to be celebrated, not merely dissected.
Why Positive Affirmations Really Work
You often hear spiritual people talk about using affirmations to improve their lives. Maybe you’ve seen quotes online or heard advice like, “Just repeat positive affirmations every day and watch your life change!”
But have you ever wondered what it really means? It sounds simple enough — but how can repeating a few positive statements really make such a big difference, especially when it comes to something as big (and sometimes complicated) as love and romance?
Let’s start at the beginning: What exactly are affirmations? Simply put, affirmations are short, powerful statements that you intentionally repeat to yourself, usually to create a positive shift in your thinking and mindset.
Affirmations are best phrased in the present tense — as if what you want is already true — to help “install” these intentions or beliefs in your subconscious mind and thus shift your energy. For example, “I am worthy of love,” “I am confident and magnetic,” or “I attract healthy, supportive relationships.”
At first, saying affirmations may feel a little strange or even wrong — especially if your current inner dialogue is filled with self-doubt or fear. But with consistent practice, something amazing begins to happen. You’re not just saying empty words-you’re literally rewiring your brain and shifting your energy to match what you want.
But how does it work? How can repeating just a few words every day change the way you attract love or make that special someone finally notice you? Let’s explore both the scientific and the magical, metaphysical aspects of affirmations and uncover why they work and how you can use them to seriously level up your love life!
They Can’t Gaslight You If You Trust Your Gut!
Gaslighting can be a very destructive aspect of a toxic relationship. It basically refers to any form of “reality twisting” or “crazy-making” that is designed to confuse or manipulate the victim.
Gaslighting is used to gain power and control in the relationship by making the victim question their reality. The phenomenon is typically found in romantic relationships, but it can occur in all kinds of social relationships, including friendships, at work, and with neighbors.
Sometimes it’s done in an obvious way, right under the victim’s nose, but more often it’s done under the radar, and you don’t always know who’s gaslighting you, or even that you’re being gaslighted.
“Gaslighting” is a psychological term derived from the 1938 stage play Gas Light and its 1940 and 1944 film adaptations. The movie is about a husband’s attempts to systematically drive his wife crazy by repeatedly dimming the gas lights in their home, only to deny that it ever happened when the wife asks him if he also noticed it. Over time, he manipulates his wife to the point where she believes she is imagining things and loses her mind.
Gaslighting is a common manipulation technique used by dictators, con artists, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists, and cult leaders. It’s done in such a way that the victim rarely realizes how much they’ve actually been brainwashed.
At first, the victim may have the idea that they’re not imagining things, but that someone else is doing this to them. They may even have an intuition about who that person is. However, the goal of gaslighting is to get victims to doubt these rational thoughts and replace them completely with the belief that there is something wrong with them, either mentally, spiritually, emotionally, or physically. The worst part, in my opinion, is that it makes you doubt your own intuition.
Decoding The Mysteries Of Your Dreams
One thing we all have in common is our dreams. Even if we don’t remember them, we all dream every night.
Our dreams take us to strange, surreal landscapes and scenarios — unusual places and odd situations that don’t follow the rules of the waking world. That’s because dreams don’t speak in logic or reason. They communicate through symbols, metaphors, and abstractions.
For centuries, people have sought to decipher the mysteries of dreams, from the dream interpretations recorded on ancient Egyptian papyrus scrolls to the psychoanalytical theories of Carl Jung. Jung believed that dreams speak through archetypes — universal symbols woven into the fabric of our collective unconscious.
Just as no two people are exactly alike, no two dreams are alike. Certain symbols — such as water for emotion or flying for freedom-appear across cultures, but their meaning is personal, shaped by our experiences, beliefs, and emotions.
Some dreams uplift us, while others leave us puzzled or even shaken. But what do they really mean?
Psychologists see dreams as a bridge between the conscious and subconscious mind, a way to process emotions, work through inner conflicts, and make sense of life. But beyond their psychological role, dreams also have a deeper, more mystical significance — one that is often overlooked.
Releasing Resistance Transforms Your Life
Many years ago I traveled to Sedona, Arizona to attend a teacher training program for The Sedona Method. Little did I know that I was about to discover one of the most important keys to a happy and fulfilling life.
I soon found myself in a conference room filled with psychiatrists, psychologists, and doctors from all over the world. I was a young mother and an novice psychic reader. I didn’t feel on the same professional level as the doctors and behavioral health professionals in the room. I felt intimidated, uncomfortable, and wanted nothing more than to go home.
But within the first few days of training, my worst nightmare came true. The trainer asked me to come to the front of the room and stand facing everyone.
“Oh no,” I thought to myself. “Why in the world did I even come to this class?”
He asked me to demonstrate one of the resistance release techniques he had taught us to a psychiatrist sitting in the front row. My knees were shaking and my heart was racing. But there was no escape, so I decided to just do it. It was a terrifying experience at the time, but it was also one of the best things that ever happened to me!
The Sedona Method is a technique designed to help you release the resistance created by painful or unwanted emotions, allowing you to experience greater personal freedom and well-being. The method involves a series of questions that help you become aware of your feelings and gently encourage you to release them. Resistance is often the cause of suffering in relationships, financial health, career, and all other areas of life.
The Magic Of Dowsing Stands The Test Of Time
Dowsing, also known as “divining” or “water witching,” is an ancient practice that uses a tool such as a pendulum or divining rod to locate what is hidden, most commonly underground water, minerals, or lost items. it is also a divination method used to tap into the unseen or mystical to gain spiritual, psychic, or energetic insights.
While skeptics dismiss it as pseudoscience, dowsing has persisted in many cultures for thousands of years, standing the test of time as a mysterious blend of mysticism and physics. I believe its continued presence throughout history speaks to its importance and continued relevance in today’s technological society.
Dowsing has ancient roots dating back thousands of years, although its exact historical beginnings remain uncertain. Archaeological evidence suggests that the practice dates back to ancient Egypt and China, where early civilizations used rudimentary dowsing techniques to locate water and minerals. Cave paintings in North Africa from around 8000 B.C. depict people holding forked sticks, which many experts believe may be dowsing rods.
The ancient Greeks and Romans were also familiar with dowsing, especially for locating underground water sources. They considered the dowsing rod or pendulum a sacred tool capable of tapping into hidden energies. It was believed that certain materials, especially wood or metal, could act as conduits for detecting invisible forces in the earth.
In the Middle Ages, dowsing became more widely practiced in Europe, often by miners searching for metal veins, especially during the mining booms in Germany and England. However, due to its inexplicable, mystical nature, dowsing also increasingly became associated with the occult and witchcraft, leading to its condemnation by the church.