Gaslighting or
gas-lighting is a form of
mental abuse in which information is twisted or
spun, selectively omitted to favor the abuser, or false information is presented with the intent of making victims doubt their own
memory,
perception, and
sanity. Instances may range simply from the
denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of
disorienting the victim.