008 - Exploring The Trauma of Gaslighting

The Gaslight Effect

On this episode, Dr. Robin Stern talks with Dr. George Bonanno, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University. Dr. Bonanno is the author of two amazing books - The End of Trauma and The Other Side of Sadness.

From Dr. Bonanno's website :

"He is recognized by the Web of Science as among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world, and has been honored with lifetime achievement awards by both the Association for Psychological Science and the International Positive Psychology Association. In addition to the books, The End of Trauma and The Other Side of Sadness, George has published hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific articles, many appearing in leading journals such as Nature, JAMA, American Psychologist, and the Annual Review of Psychology. He is also an avid painter (when he has time), reads widely, and loves music." Robin and Dr. Bonanno explore how human trauma plays a role in gaslighting and some tools of resilience that can help in dealing with and healingl the trauma of gaslighting. Robin points out that gaslighters are not born. Gaslighting is the result of social learning. A gaslighter tries something and it works, and they need to be in control of a moment, so they continue to use this tactic. Dr. Bonanno talks about the flexibility mindset and using this to determine ways to not allow the gaslighter to control you. Robin and Dr. Bonanno also look into the grief and sadness that can accompany the ending of a gaslighting relationship. Even though the gaslightee can be happy and relieved, they are also susceptible to being sad at the loss of a relationship that they may have had for a very long time. To read the complete transcript of this episode and to hear other episodes of The Gaslight Effect Podcast, head over to robinstern.com. And please leave a rating and review if you enjoyed this episode!