Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

Let's talk about Gaslighting. You may or may not have heard this term before, so let's start by talking about its origins. The term ‘gaslighting’ gets its name from the 1938 play Gaslight. (It also gained a more well known film adaption in 1944). The premise of the play involves a young woman named Bella in 1880 whose husband attempts convince her that she is losing her mind in order to hide his crimes.  So, what exactly is gaslighting?  Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which a person manipulates another into thinking that they are losing their mind, or simply manipulating them into believing lies to the point that they question their own thoughts and how they perceive the world around them.   An example of attempted gaslighting in media would be in the Harry Potter series when Dolores Umbridge attempts to convince Harry that Voldemort has not returned, despite Harry knowing that he saw him with his own eyes.  There was also a case in...

Please welcome guest blogger, Sid Scott Lee. He is one of the co-founders of the Real Love Campaign and one of the volunteers for Rock & Roll Saved My Soul, co-running our Tumblr account.  Please be advised that this article discusses sensitive subject matter. If you are easily upset, or triggered by discussions of abuse, please proceed with caution or click away from this article.  What is a healthy relationship?  It's a simple enough question but many people struggle to find the answer to that. My friend and I wanted to to share our experiences with this question. My friend, we’ll call her Becca. Becca grew up with parents in an unhealthy relationship. She witnessed her mother being abusive to her father and to her.  I was born just a few years before my parents’ marriage started to fall apart. I don't remember many times where they had positive interactions, and as I got older. I also was in my fair share of abusive, toxic, and potentially ...