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The Upside Down

The Upside Down

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 EDITOR’S NOTE: Grab these indie author books for free. Dear Permission to be Powerful Reader,The more I understand people, the more stunned I am.We like to think we know how human beings work. We assume people are logical, that they operate on some shared foundation of truth and reason.But what if we were wrong?What if our machinery operated differently from the way we think?That brings me to gaslighting.One of the most insidious human inventions.Gaslighters don’t live in the real world. They distort truth, bend reality, and rewrite history in real-time. They manipulate, omit, and twist details to fit their own version of events. And the worst part? They don’t respect your truth.Your version of reality deserves respect.That’s the short answer to dealing with a gaslighter: do not engage.Now, let’s go deeper.Not everyone lives in a world where facts are irrefutable. Some people live in stories—stories they invent, reinforce, and force onto others. They curate narratives, omitting inconvenient details, spinning reality until it suits their agenda.I despise this topic. It makes my brain feel like Swiss cheese. Too many years of being gaslit left me questioning myself at every turn.She was unbeatable.She fooled trained professionals. A judge. Family. Strangers.There’s a reason I avoid talking about this. I don’t want my credibility called into question. I don’t want to be seen as the villain.I am entitled to my truth.Especially after having it erased for so long.I hold onto it fiercely.That’s why I gave up lying altogether. When your reality is constantly being distorted by someone else, brutal honesty becomes your only lifeline.Because if I let go of the truth, even for a second, I’d drown in the gaslighting.She was unbeatable.Even with a professional at my side, she demolished me.My only option was to walk away. You cannot reason with someone who refuses to engage in good faith.She never listened.She was always sure she was right.And she believed her own b******t.Her mother was the same way—constantly feeding her untreated anxiety with wild, unverified stories.One time, we were thinking about visiting a small island just off the coast. You would need a little boat.Just a little bit too far off the beaten path for my mother in law.She discouraged us from going…Because rastas with machine guns were there.Only in retrospect did I piece together what was happening.People always tell you who they are.Even when they’re hiding it.If you listen closely, they’ll let it slip.I remember one day, clear as crystal.She looked me in the eye and said:"No matter what, I never back down. It doesn’t matter what they say. Always double down."I sat there, stunned.That level of deliberate deception—that sheer refusal to ever admit fault—was something I couldn’t even begin to process.Most people are just kids in adult bodies.You think you’re dealing with a rational, reasonable, sane person.You’re wrong.Some people stopped maturing at age two.The Opposite of TruthSome people don’t care about truth.They care about winning.They care about control—who gets to tell the story, who gets to be believed. They don’t just twist reality. Sometimes, they’ll tell the exact opposite of the truth.That’s what makes gaslighting so effective.It’s disorienting.It scrambles your brain. It short-circuits your ability to defend yourself. When someone tells you something so blatantly false—so backwards—your mind struggles to process it.It’s called a double bind.Your brain can’t think in two opposing directions at once.It makes you feel crazy.It makes you question yourself.And that’s exactly what they want.👉 Maybe it was your fault.👉 👉Maybe you do have it all wrong.👉👉👉 Maybe YOU’RE the a*****e.That’s how they sink their hooks into you. That’s how they keep you trapped.But here’s what I’ve learned:I don’t allow gaslighters in my life.I can’t afford to.👉 They’re emotionally violent people.👉 They don’t just hurt you—they erode you.👉 They make you doubt your own mind.That’s the worst kind of abuse.The Moment I UnderstoodOne day, I realized something.A gaslighter doesn’t just want to win the argument.They want to win control over reality itself.They want the power to tell you what happened—to dictate your thoughts, your memories, your emotions.You’re not allowed to be a person.No.You’re their object.And they will tell you how things are.It’s dehumanizing.It’s psychological warfare.And the only way to win is to walk away.The Price of Waking UpGetting divorced gave me a clarity like nothing else.I’d been blind.I missed 90% of what was going on in my own relationship.I was married to a stranger.Eight years, and I never really knew her.She kept her guard up the entire time. She never let me in.And I was too gaslit to see it.Now, I look back, and I see it all so clearly.People operate in layers.👉 The public persona.👉 The friend ...

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