015 - Am I Crazy? Or Am I Being Gaslighted?

The Gaslight Effect

On this episode, Dr. Robin Stern talked with her close friend and colleague, Alice Forrester, the CEO of Clifford Beers Community Health Partners.

Alice discussed how growing up as a teenager in the 1970s, she was aware of the culture shift that was occuring at that time in our country, and how her father struggled with this changing dynamic.

Alice recalled often being told she was wrong by her father, about certain opinions she was formulating at that time, and how that did not leave her unscathed.

Alice and Robin unpacked Alice's feelings of being "wrong" and how that has impacted her adult life.

Alice shared a deeply personal account of when her nephew recently passed away at a young age from COVID and how she felt she couldn't say the right words to comfort her sister in her grief, and how this stirred up deeply emotional feelings of not being good enough.

Alice also shared that at the same time, her marriage was going through a difficult time, and how she was being gaslighted by her partner regarding their relationship.

Robin and Alice worked through the the idea that these multiple experiences of gaslighting can cause you to think that maybe you are wrong, and to second guess your own reasoning. Often, giving yourself space allows you to gain a better understanding of what is happening and spurs you to change or get out of the gaslighting situation.

Alice shared how understanding what gaslighting means and what to look for, has helped her in raising her daughters in these unsettled times during the pandemic and post pandemic, when we often are told to believe things that are constantly changing and things that we know are not accurate.

To read the full transcript of this episode and to listen to other episodes, please head over to robinstern.com. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you listen to this podcast!