Of all the relationship buzzwords of the last decade, “gaslighting” is one that has remained a necessary one to understand when trying to make sense of a toxic relationship.
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In this week’s episode of ‘Red Table Talk’ on Facebook Watch “Secrets To Surviving A Narcissist In Your Life,” Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris are joined by Dr. Ramani Durvasula to unpack what it means to navigate life with a narcissist — and a few of the ways (including gaslighting) that a narcissist can wreak toxic havoc on your life.
In an exclusive clip shared with SheKnows, Dr. Ramani comes to the table to explain the specific kind of manipulation at play when you’re being gaslit. And, yes, you might feel like you’re going crazy or can’t trust your own eyes and ears.
“Gaslighting is a form of manipulation where you really kind of get power on the person by invalidating their reality,” Dr. Ramani says. “When it happens repeatedly you feel like you’re literally going crazy. You no longer believe yourself.”
She adds that it takes some degree of power (trust, intimacy) for someone to effectively gaslight you — and it’s a betrayal of that power. It’s not just lying, she says, “gaslighting is lying and then twisting the knife further so you feel crazy.”
Willow asks whether this classic scenario is gaslighting — you’re in an argument and the other person denies saying something that they straight-up said. You’re caught wondering, do I need to produce the receipts? Do I need to record our conversations?
If those feelings are all too familiar, Dr. Ramani says, odds are you are being gaslit.
If you want to hear more about narcissists (and how to survive them), you can tune-in to Facebook Watch for a new episode of “Red Table Talk” — streaming Wednesday, April 7 at 9am PT / 12pm ET.
Before you go, check out our favorite mental health apps (that are actually affordable and useful!): 
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