February 9, 2021
Autism and gaslighting
Gaslighting is when someone makes someone else doubt their own experiences. It is a form of abuse in which the person is left questioning their own reality and memories. It is disorientating and confusing, it leaves you doubting your own mind. This is done so the person doing it can get away with whatever it is that they are trying to cover up — often abusive behaviour.
This blog can now be found here 🙂
I was mentally abused by my son’s mum altho at the time I hadn’t been formally diagnosed as being ASD. I have been made out to be the perpetrator rather than the victim and haven’t been listened to for some reason. I’m still fighting for my son’s who are still being mentally abused factually uncertain if the physical abuse has stopped tho. The kids won’t talk to other people, the result is the abuse keeps happening.
Yes, this was me ! Used a pseudonym to avoid this being linked back to me but I had this from both my parents- “your brain is wired differently, you get things wrong, you don’t understand the way things are and your view of the world is skewed” when I attempted to stand up for myself against the body shaming, slut shaming, coercive control and other emotional abuse they dished out. I’m glad I’m out of there and with someone who values me.
Thank you, this was very helpful. While I have not yet been formally diagnosed (I can’t seem to find the courage to ask for a formal diagnosis, particularly as an adult female), I have been gaslit many, many times and in particular by one person.
I would never say that as an autistic that we do not “process things correctly”. We process things “differently”. I feel that to say that we do something incorrectly, says that we are not normal and should conform. Yes, we are different and we process things very differently to “normal” people, but we should not knock ourselves down for this difference. It diminishes us.
Thank you for putting your thoughts and feelings out there for everyone to learn. x