Gaslighting in the Family: When No One Believes Your Memory

In your family, they tell you that you're making things up. "That never happened," "you're confusing everything," "we never said anything like that," "you were little, how would you even remember." You leave that conversation and start doubting yourself: maybe you really are exaggerating and inventing an offense out of nowhere. Many people know this mechanism from romantic relationships, but in a family it works differently — and that's why it's harder to notice.

How family gaslighting differs from gaslighting in a relationship

The point is the same: a person is convinced that their perception is wrong. But in a family, it has its own features.