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Intuition and Gut Feelings....Do You Trust Yours?
I think there is a common misconception about the term intuition. Intuition is a not about being psychic, or any other phenomenon that makes people skeptical. Your intuition is the same as your gut feeling, and many believe in trusting their gut.
That gut feeling is alarm bells going off in your brain telling you something, or someone is off, or things are just not right.
Intuition is defined as an ability to understand, or know something without needing to think about it, or use reason to discover. It is a feeling. It bridges the gap between the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind.
When I was in the military I worked with sexual assault victims. During my training, the local police department's Sexual Assault Victim's unit visited. One of the things they pointed out was the importance of trusting your intuition.
Often times, victims sensed they were in danger. Their gut told them it was a bad idea to be alone with a particular person, or that they were being followed. They didn't listen to those alarms going off in their head, and the outcomes were often not good. The lesson was to listen to your gut. It may save your life.
Over the years, I have learned to trust my intuition over anything that I am being told or seeing. If someone wants to deceive, they will put on an act, and they will lie. A smiling face means nothing in particular to me. There is a reason for the common saying, "believe half of what you see and none of what you hear".
Now don't get me wrong, this is not about seeing and believing the worst in others. I don't have alarms bells going off all the time. But it is about trusting yourself over what someone else is doing or saying, especially when you are sensing a hidden agenda.
The takeaways are to trust your intuition, and know yourself. What is the worse that could happen? If you think someone is in love with you, then they probably are. If you feel someone dislikes you, you are likely right.
The advice to people in relationships is always, if you think he or she is cheating then they probably are or wants to. Lastly, if you feel you are in danger then get out of there.
So I ask you this, do you trust your gut or foolishly ignore it? Have you ever had someone try to convince you your gut was wrong by gaslighting you? I have....
You know the truth, by the way it feels. - Unknown
10 Signs Of Gaslighting...Are You The Victim Or The Culprit?
I first heard the term "gaslighting" about a year or so ago while listening to a radio talk show in my car. The term is derived from the 1938 play and the 1944 movie titled "Gaslight".
In the movie, a husband tries to drive his wife insane by convincing her that what she thought was said or had happened was not the reality. She begins to not trust on her own memory and questions her sanity.
Gaslight is a good film, but the cruelty heaped upon the main character makes you want to yell at the screen, or shake her to wake up, and see that she is being manipulated.
The term gaslighting is making a comeback as more and more people realize that this is a tactic often used today in both social and professional circles. Gaslighting is most often used in close or intimate relationships.
Have you ever try to call someone out for something they did to you that made you feel wronged, and they deny that it ever happened?
Did you clearly witness them do or say something, but they deny it so convincingly that you start to question if what you really saw or heard was real? You must have misunderstood or are being overly sensitive, is often the received response.
Gaslighting is a form of abuse, as it diminishes your self-esteem, your self-confidence, and your self-worth. The gaslighter convinces you that it is all in your head, and you are just being paranoid, overly sensitive, or remembering incorrectly. I have definitely felt the burn of a gaslighter.
For the most part, I realized they were full of it and not owning their own crap. However, at the same time, there was this other part of me that did question my assessment of the situation. Was I remembering the events as they really happened?
A relationship where gaslighting appears to be happening is one you should not be in. The gaslighter can be a spouse or significant other, a friend, a parent, or a co-worker. It is important to recognize the signs of gaslighting in your life.
10 Signs To look For In A Gaslighting Relationship
You Often Question Your Own Memory
You Wonder If You Are Too Sensitive
You Feel Less Confident
You Have Trouble Making Decisions
You Often Feel Confused And Crazy
You Feel Like You Cannot Do Anything Right
You Are Always Apologizing
You Feel Hopeless And Joyless
You Lie To Avoid Put Downs
You Often Second Guess Yourself
Gaslighting is a manipulation and deception used in order to misdirect, gain control, and avoid blame. Narcissist often use gaslighting to manipulate. Recognize it and know when it is happening to you.
What is your experience with gaslighting? Have you ever been the victim or the culprit? Please share your experience!
“So often victims end up unnecessarily prolonging their abuse because they buy into the notion that their abuser must be coming from a wounded place and that only patient love and tolerance (and lots of misguided therapy) will help them heal.” - George K. Simon
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