When the Workplace Becomes a Warzone
What happens when manipulation becomes a management style?
When truth-telling is punished, and chaos is the language of control?
In this week’s episode of The Gaslit Brain, we share a real story from a listener who endured severe psychological abuse and gaslighting in her workplace, a story that, tragically, echoes the experience of so many.
Her male colleague’s tactics were subtle at first: shifting goalposts, withholding vital information, creating confusion and instability to keep her off balance. Over time, it evolved into full-blown coercive control — a calculated campaign to dominate and destroy her confidence.
Despite her courage in reporting the abuse and requesting a transfer, the organisation did what far too many do: protected the abuser and punished the victim. The result? Complex PTSD, physical illness, and a deep erosion of trust – not only in her workplace, but in the systems meant to protect her.
We like to believe that workplaces are places of fairness and accountability, but the truth is often much darker. Too many organisations hide behind HR processes that shield perpetrators, while branding whistleblowers as “difficult” or “unstable.” This isn’t just about one bad boss or one toxic team. It’s a systemic failure, a reflection of cultures that prioritise reputation over reality. When coercive control is allowed to fester in workplaces, it’s not just individuals who suffer, it’s entire institutions rot from within.
Gaslighting Is Not Just a Personal Problem — It’s a Cultural One
Gaslighting has become a buzzword, but its real meaning is deeply psychological. It’s not simply lying or manipulation, it’s a systematic dismantling of another person’s reality.
As Dr Jen Fraser, author of The Gaslit Brain, explains, prolonged exposure to psychological abuse actually changes the brain. Victims begin to doubt themselves, experience cognitive confusion, and can develop severe trauma responses. This is why recovery is so complex, because the damage is both emotional and neurological. Yet, workplaces continue to dismiss it as “personality clashes” or “performance issues.”
Our conversation also examined how this dynamic plays out far beyond individual offices. In academia, healthcare, corporate institutions, even charities, there exists a troubling normalisation of deceit and domination. People are trained to stay silent, to comply, to self-doubt. When they speak out, they’re often gaslit by the very systems meant to protect them. This isn’t just a professional crisis, it’s a human rights issue. Psychological safety should be a basic workplace standard, yet for many, it’s an unspoken luxury.
So, where do we go from here?
Education. Solidarity. Resistance.
We must challenge the structures that enable gaslighting — not only by exposing abuse, but by teaching critical thinking, empathy, and emotional intelligence as fundamental leadership skills. Real leadership doesn’t thrive on control, it thrives on connection. Every time we speak up, every time we refuse to stay silent, every time we stand with someone whose truth has been twisted, we reclaim a piece of our shared humanity.
In this episode, we unpack the neuroscience of gaslighting, the cost of silence, and the collective power of truth.
Because resistance begins with awareness, and healing begins with naming what happened.
If you’ve ever doubted your own reality at work, this episode is for you.
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