Self-gaslighting is rarely recognized right away. More often, it shows up as a habitual doubt in oneself – in one’s feelings, thoughts, reactions, and even memories. A person may automatically tell themselves “I’m exaggerating,” “I imagined it,” or “others have it worse,” devaluing their own experience before it is fully acknowledged. Dr. Daniel Reinhardt emphasizes that self-gaslighting does not arise from excessive self-criticism, but as a way to maintain psychological stability in environments where inner experience could not be trusted. In the clinical practice of MindCareCenter, this mechanism appears far more often than people expect.
Over time, self-gaslighting becomes a background way of relating to oneself. A person stops relying on their own perception and begins to seek validation externally – in others’ opinions, logic, or social norms. Even clear emotional reactions are questioned. At MindCareCenter, we see how this leads to inner disorientation, chronic anxiety, and a loss of inner support. The psyche seems to lose its internal compass.
Our psychologists note that self-gaslighting almost always has a history. In the past, a person may have encountered persistent devaluation, contradictory messages, denial of their feelings, or situations in which their perception was repeatedly questioned. Gradually, the internal critic begins to reproduce this external voice, turning into a form of inner violence. This mechanism once helped a person adapt, but over time it erodes trust in oneself.
At MindCareCenter, therapeutic work with self-gaslighting is approached carefully. We do not aim to immediately eliminate doubt or replace it with forced positivity. The first step is learning to notice the moment of self-devaluation – where and how a person stops believing themselves. This may appear in language, bodily reactions, automatic thoughts, or an urge to justify oneself instantly.
Gradually, therapy makes it possible to restore contact with genuine experience. MindCareCenter specialists help rebuild the ability to distinguish between what is actually happening internally and what is a habitual defensive interpretation. When inner experience is no longer treated as something inherently unreliable, anxiety decreases and a sense of inner stability begins to emerge.
Particular attention is given to working with responsibility for one’s own perception. For many clients, trusting themselves is associated with the fear of making mistakes or provoking conflict. At MindCareCenter, we help form a more flexible stance – one in which inner experience is recognized as meaningful, even when it is uncomfortable or difficult for others to accept. This restores the sense of having the right to remain in contact with oneself.
Over time, self-gaslighting ceases to be the dominant inner strategy. A person begins to notice that they can rely on their feelings and thoughts without immediately undermining themselves. Greater clarity, confidence, and inner coherence appear. At MindCareCenter, we observe how restoring trust in one’s own perception positively affects all areas of life – from relationships to decision-making.
It is important to understand that self-gaslighting does not indicate weakness or psychological instability. It points to an experience in which trusting oneself was unsafe. At Mind Care Center, we accompany the process of leaving this mechanism step by step – helping restore an inner voice that can be heard and accepted without violence.
Previously, we wrote about how childhood emotional experience is transmitted into adult functioning and how MindCareCenter works with these deep processes.