Gaslighting comes from the play and movie “Gaslight” in which the heroine is made to believe she is crazy and losing her mind by her abusive husband. The gas lanterns in the house dim every time he is in the attic searching for her family fortune yet, he insists that...
Abusers do not love. They covet. When they meet a potential target for abuse, they want what the target has, which is love, empathy, kindness, compassion. The abuser can only mimic those emotions. Abusers do not understand normal courtship. They want the relationship to move at lightning speed, to mine you for wounds, your past, things that will be used against you later.