On Gaslighting

What Is Gaslighting?

The term ‘Gaslighting,’ originated from the 1944 thriller film, ‘Gaslight’, directed by George Cukor. It starred Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Angela Lansbury. Ingrid Bergman’s character, Paula, falls in love with the charming, Gregory Anton. Gregory manipulates and controls Paula by playing tricks on her mind, with the aim of wanting to make her think that she is losing her sanity.

He hides pictures, brooches, and manipulates her into thinking that she has lost them. Mid-film, he goes down into the basement, and messes with the gaslights. Paula hears strange footsteps in the night. She sees the gaslights dimming without being touched, and she starts to believe that she is losing her mind. Paula fights to retain her sanity, and by the end of her film, her husband’s intentions are revealed. He had been playing tricks with her mind to cover his identity, and to distract him from his criminal activities.

An Accurate Definition

The most accurate definition that I have heard of the term Gaslighting, is from British Broadcaster, Piers Morgan. He was speaking on his Talk TV Show, Uncensored, in January 2023. It was during the period that Prince Harry’s memoir- Spare was released. He was speaking about Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, 2021. During that interview, Prince Harry had said that racist comments had been made by the Royal Family, about Archie’s skin colour. There was then a U Turn- when his book, Spare, came out. Prince Harry then said, that he had never intimated in his interview with Oprah Winfrey, that there had been any racism within The Royal Family. Piers Morgan said that Prince Harry was gaslighting us. Piers defined gaslighting as;

When you lie and spin things to trick people to question their own sanity and reasoning.

Me-pedia.org describes Gaslighting as; A form of emotional abuse which involves persistently denying or refusing to accept facts. This frequently leads to the other person doubting their own experience. Victims of gaslighting may become anxious, develop depression, or become increasingly emotional as a result. This can make them more likely to be seen as having unreliable or questionable judgement, which discredits them further. Gaslighting may result in a loss of trust and isolation.

What Is Medical Gaslighting?

Medical Gaslighting is a term used to describe doctors or medical practitioners who wrongly deny a patient’s illness entirely. They tell patients that they are not really sick, or blame a patient’s illness or symptoms on psychological factors. People who experience Medical Gaslighting feel dismissed. It is certain patient groups who experience Medical Gaslighting more frequently than others. These groups are women with illnesses which do not yet have a clear diagnosis, for example, ME, Fibromyalgia, and endometriosis. These women may experience gaslighting done either consciously or unconsciously. The links below explain how Medical Gaslighting and psychologization, (the process of blaming physical problems on psychological factors) work.

Medical gaslighting – MEpedia (me-pedia.org)

Psychologization – MEpedia (me-pedia.org)

Medical Practitioner, Sarah Fraser, writes in the first article below about gaslighting between medical professionals. In the article, she makes a vital point about the subtle nature of gaslighting. She explains that Gaslighting is different from other forms of bullying. It rarely involves violent threats or aggressive insults, it is more subtle. It is a quiet form of abuse, and it often goes unseen by other witnesses. The majority of instances of gaslighting may not involve full-blown delusion or memory loss, like Ingrid Bergman’s character. However, gaslighting can have long-lasting consequences on one’s mental health and self-esteem.

The toxic power dynamics of gaslighting in medicine – PMC (nih.gov)

10 Ways People With Chronic Illness Experience Gaslighting (themighty.com)

Medical Gaslighting: 7 Signs That Help You Spot It (insider.com)

How to Spot ‘Medical Gaslighting’ and What to Do About It. – The New York Times (nytimes.com)