It’s not always what is said that is important. Often it’s what other people hear that is being said that counts. Certainly that is of upmost importance to the person doing the listening.
Intent and impact can sit at opposite ends of of the conversation spectrum. And while passion and meaning can have a connection the same cannot be said for truth and lies.
For that reason alone it makes sense to question the things that we hear…to weigh the words against our own intelligence…to filter ideas and attitudes through our accumulated wisdom.
There is much that can and should be accepted at face value and yet the unscrupulous use the innocence of that mindset to their own advantage.
In a bid to seek clarity it’s important to be cautious and, if necessary and possible, to question those making proclamations or delivering messages.
More important still is to question and examine personal reactions. All too often if something sounds suspect then it can be faulty. What is heard and seen outside of us needs to be examined in and through us.
That is of particular importance when it comes to the matter of gaslighting.
If we drop our guard we can become convinced that unidentified and unaddressed flaws and shortcomings are part of our mental state. It’s when we are pushed to the point that we begin to doubt our mindset that we can find ourselves in real trouble.
It’s essential that we know what we think and why we think it. That’s the key to stability. That’s true psychological armour.
Gary Bentley Counselling 