The Physiology of Gaslighting
Trauma & Narcissism Redefined
Caroline Strawson
4.8 • 701 Ratings
🗓️ 24 June 2025
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Before we dive in, I’m thrilled to invite you to a free live masterclass I’m hosting, “Pain to Purpose: Building a Trauma Informed Business for Survivors of Narcissistic & Domestic Abuse.” on Sunday, the 29th of June. I’ll pop the link below and if you can join me live, fantastic. But even if you can’t, still register and I’ll send you the recording. If you’re reading this after the date of the 29th, still click on the link and I’ll send the recording over. Alone I can do so little, but collectively we can really facilitate a change in the world around narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control. And if you feel like your experiences must lead to somewhere, this master class could be for you. And of course, if not, ignore all of this.
https://carolinestrawson.com/purpose-masterclass?ref=podcast
In today’s episode, I’m talking about the physiology of gaslighting because most conversations about gaslighting focus on psychology, thoughts, beliefs, and mental manipulation. Today we flip that lens and explore the physiology: the tangible, bodily sensations that whisper, “Something isn’t right,” long before your conscious mind can name it.I’ll explain what gaslighting is, why? I never even knew what it was when I was in my relationship with my ex-husband and how it is a tool that abuses use to manipulate and control you. So if you’ve ever thought you were crazy in conversations with your partners, Ex partners or parents And never understood why, this episode is a must listen to. This form of psychological abuse is hidden and unseen and because there are no visible bruises, many of us don’t even realise it’s a form of abuse.Don’t ever be alone in your journey and make sure you come and join my private Facebook community, No Visible Bruises where you can connect with other survivors of narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/novisiblebruises.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions shared in this podcast are those of the individuals involved and are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They do not substitute professional or medical advice. If you’ve been affected by anything discussed in today’s episode, please consider reaching out to a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional for support. You’re not alone, and help is always available.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to No Visible Bruises, the podcast that shares real-life survivor stories of narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse and coercive control from a physiology first and nervous system perspective, because you can't think your way out of this. You need to feel to heal. I'm Caroline Strawson, a survivor myself and now a trauma expert and educator. |
| 0:25.0 | I am here to create change and understanding of the unseen abuse that we are not taught about |
| 0:30.9 | in schools and to heal from the inside out at a nervous system level. |
| 0:36.0 | Let's break the silence and change the narrative because we heal |
| 0:40.6 | together. |
| 0:46.8 | Hi, my friends, welcome to No Visible Bruises, your podcast, helping you heal and thrive after |
| 0:53.9 | narcissistic abuse, domestic abuse and |
| 0:56.3 | coercive control. As always, it's my pleasure to be here sharing stories, whether we have |
| 1:02.7 | interviews with survivors, guest experts, or even just monologues like myself in these moments |
| 1:08.1 | where hopefully you're going to get some education, you're going to learn |
| 1:11.4 | something and a little bit of hope to know that there is a light at the end of what can often |
| 1:15.5 | feel like a really long, dark tunnel. First thing that I want to mention before I start to talk to you |
| 1:21.3 | about the physiology of gas lighting. You know, many of you know the work that I do. It's not just |
| 1:26.9 | about the psychology of things |
| 1:28.9 | where you just learn about things and it's all very well up here. It's about the physiology because you |
| 1:33.3 | don't think anxiety, you don't think depression, you don't think gaslighting, you feel it. So I'm |
| 1:39.7 | going to talk to you a bit about what is this physiology of gaslighting? How does that look at a nervous system level? |
| 1:45.4 | Because I think when we know this stuff, it really, really helps us and helps lift the shame. |
| 1:49.3 | But before I sort of dive into that, I want to let you know that this Sunday, I'm hosting a free |
| 1:54.9 | masterclass. Just a little bit about my own journey here. And I only want to quickly do this, because for some of you, |
| 2:02.4 | this will be totally irrelevant. But for some of you, because I get lots and lots of emails |
| 2:07.4 | and messages from you, I think this could be really relevant. So I'm hosting a free masterclass on |
... |
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