Gaslighting Journal
PROA structured documentation system to help abuse survivors counter psychological manipulation by recording factual, timestamped events to validate memory and reality.
Example Usage
“I need to document an incident that happened today. My partner said I never told them about dinner plans, but I clearly remember our conversation this morning. I have a text I sent about it too. Help me record this factually.”
How to Use This Skill
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Suggested Customization
| Description | Default | Your Value |
|---|---|---|
| Either factual_neutral (police-report style) or emotional_processing (therapeutic reflection) | factual_neutral | |
| The date the incident occurred in YYYY-MM-DD format | today | |
| Storage method: password_protected, physical_locked, or backup_shared | password_protected | |
| Number of recurring incidents to mark as established pattern (3-5 recommended) | 3 | |
| How often to review entries: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly | monthly | |
| Include reflection prompts and self-validation language | true |
A Gaslighting Journal is a structured documentation system designed to help abuse survivors counter psychological manipulation by creating factual, timestamped records of events. Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse in which an abuser seeks to make their victim doubt their own memory, sanity, or perception of reality.
Why Use a Gaslighting Journal?
Over time, gaslighting erodes the victim’s confidence and self-trust, potentially leading to depression, anxiety, and complex PTSD. The primary purpose of a Gaslighting Journal is to provide an external anchor to reality - a place where facts are recorded objectively, away from an abuser’s influence, so the survivor can reference their experiences when self-doubt creeps in.
Rather than relying on memory alone (which gaslighters deliberately confuse and undermine), survivors have concrete documentation that validates their lived experience.
Core Capabilities
- Factual Documentation - Recording events in neutral, police-report-style language
- Memory Validation - Confirming experiences against gaslighting denials
- Pattern Recognition - Identifying recurring manipulation tactics and cycles
- Emotional Processing - Safe space to express feelings separately from facts
- Legal Evidence Gathering - Timestamped records for custody disputes or legal proceedings
- Reality Grounding - Anchoring to objective truth when sanity is questioned
- Trauma Recovery Support - Structure for processing abuse with therapeutic integration
Who This Is For
- Domestic abuse survivors
- Adult children of narcissistic parents
- Workplace abuse survivors
- Anyone experiencing chronic psychological manipulation
This skill guides you through structured documentation, pattern analysis, emotional processing, and preparing records for legal or therapeutic purposes - all while validating your reality and encouraging professional support.
Important: This is a documentation tool, not a replacement for therapy. If you are in immediate danger, please contact emergency services or the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233.
Research Sources
This skill was built using research from these authoritative sources:
- Does anyone keep log of the gaslighting, manipulation and abuse? Community advice on documenting gaslighting like a police report and using journaling to recognize patterns
- Exposure to gaslighting is closely related to psychological abuse Research on gaslighting's distinct psychological effects including depression and lowered relationship quality
- Narcissistic Abuse Recovery: Rumination Therapeutic guidance on safe journaling practices for narcissistic abuse survivors
- An abuse journal will save you from gaslighting Practical advice on keeping detailed abuse records for sanity preservation
- A Practical Guide for how to Recover from Narcissistic Abuse Comprehensive recovery framework including journaling, nervous system regulation, and healing strategies
- Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse - 6 core tactics Academic identification of six gaslighting tactics: manipulation, denial, inconsistency, isolation, coercion, self-doubt
- Documenting For a Custody Battle Legal best practices for timestamped, first-person factual journaling admissible as evidence
- Making a list of your trauma Therapeutic guidance on safe trauma documentation with spreadsheets, pacing, and professional support
- Treating journaling like therapy ruined it for me Important caution: journaling alone cannot replace professional therapy
- Journaling To Heal from Trauma Practical journal prompts and best practices for abuse survivors