Highlights
  • Gaslighting can be described as the ultimate form of betrayal, as it is a serious form of manipulation that causes victims to question their reality.
  • These perpetrators rely on an imbalance of power that favors their agenda; the victims lack a confidence and are easily influenced.
  • Those who experience this betrayal (often in the form of gaslighting) suffer from symptoms afterward that are commonly known as Post Betrayal Syndrome.
  • A majority of victims typically experience flashbacks (mental, emotional, and physical), suffer from physical ailments like a lack of energy and loss of sleep, and feel sad, anxious, or angry in the short and long term.

There’s a collection of symptoms so common to betrayal it’s become known as Post Betrayal Syndrome. When it comes to gaslighting, it often goes hand in hand with betrayal because the gaslighter is intentionally weakening the self-esteem and resolve of their victim so that they maintain a sense of control, leaving the victim to question themselves, their decisions and even their sanity. This imbalance of power allows the gaslighter to keep their victim off kilter so they more easily get away with decisions they wouldn’t be able to if their victims were more confident and/or well informed.

Close up of females neutral face.

Our results from the Post Betrayal Syndrome quiz (found at www.PBTInstitute.com/quiz) found that:

  • Over 76% feel a loss of personal power.
  • 72% are hypervigilant and on guard to threats and danger.
  • Almost 90% experience mental, emotional, physical flashbacks.
  • Over 60% suffer from physical ailments—low energy, difficulty falling or staying asleep, extreme fatigue/exhaustion.
  • Over 50% suffer from mental ailments- feeling overwhelmed, disbelief unable to focus, shock, foggy headed, and unable to concentrate.
  • Over 50% suffer from emotional symptoms- sadness, anger, stressed, feeling hurt, anxiety, rejected, feeling disregarded, feeing taken advantage of, fear, a sense of abandonment, feel as if you got punched in the gut, irritability, and depression.
  • 89% say that certain events/people/places trigger the physical, mental, and emotional feelings of the betrayal.
  • Over 60% experience low energy, difficulty falling and staying asleep, as well as extreme exhaustion and fatigue.
  • The most common physical ailments are low energy, difficulty falling and staying asleep, as well as extreme exhaustion and fatigue.
  • Over 50% experience disbelief, shock, feeling overwhelmed disbelief, inability to focus and concentrate, shock and foggy headedness.
  • The most common mental ailments are disbelief, shock, feeling overwhelmed disbelief, inability to focus and concentrate, shock and foggy headedness.
  • Over 50% experience sadness, anger, stress, hurt feelings, anxiety, rejection, feeling disregarded, feeling taken advantage of, fear, sense of abandonment, feeling as if you got punched in the gut, irritability and depression.
  • The most common emotional ailments are sadness, anger, stress, hurt feelings, anxiety, rejection, feeling disregarded, feeling taken advantage of, fear, sense of abandonment, feeling as if you got punched in the gut, irritability and depression.
  • 80% are hesitant to trust again.
  • 64% prevent themselves from forming deep relationships because they are fearful of being vulnerable and hurt.
  • 76% find it hard to move forward.
  • 82% want to move forward but don’t know how.

*Dr. Debi Silber, a transformational psychologist, a health, mindset, personal development speaker, coach and author of The Unshakable Woman: 4 Steps to Rebuilding Your Body, Mind, and Life After a Life Crisis explains gaslighting as the ultimate form of betrayal and delves into what life is like for victims after the betrayal.*