Love-bombing is a form of manipulation and psychological abuse where the abuser showers the victim with signs of affection, attention, and praise. It is a way to build an intense connection quickly and make the victim feel special, loved, and accepted. This form of manipulation is often used to cover up the abuser’s intentions or to win over the victim’s trust. The love-bomber will use compliments, gifts, sweet words, flattery, promises of a brighter future together or other forms of affection to manipulate their partner into staying in the relationship. However, once the abuser has achieved their desired outcome they may suddenly turn cold or abusive.
Gaslighting is another form of emotional manipulation and abuse where the abuser attempts to make their victim doubt their own perceptions or memories by questioning reality. It’s a subtle yet powerful form of psychological abuse that makes victims doubt themselves and feel confused about what is real or not. The abuser will often deny wrongdoing or accuse their partner of being crazy for believing something different from what they have said. For example, if an abuser says something like “that never happened” when their partner remembers it happening differently; this is gaslighting. The goal is for the victim to become so confused that they start to believe what their abuser says instead of trusting themselves. Over time this can lead to feelings of insecurity, worthlessness and even depression in victims who are constantly subjected to gaslighting tactics from their abusers.
When combined love-bombing and gaslighting constitute domestic abuse because they both involve controlling one person over another through emotional manipulation and psychological tactics such as lying or denial which can be just as damaging as physical violence. Victims may feel confused about what is real or not due to gaslighting while also feeling dependent on their abuser due to love-bombing tactics which prevent them from leaving the relationship even when they know it’s unhealthy for them. As such these manipulative behaviours can be extremely damaging both mentally and emotionally for victims who are constantly subjected to them over time without realizing it until it’s too late.
It’s important for people in relationships with potential abusers to be aware of these toxic behaviours so that they can recognize them before it becomes too late. If someone notices any signs that either love-bombing or gaslighting may be taking place in a relationship then it’s important that they reach out for help immediately before things get worse as these manipulative tactics can have long-lasting effects on victims even after they manage to escape from an abusive situation.