Reality Distortion: How Narcissistic Abuse Makes You Doubt Your Own Mind

Reality Distortion in Relationships

Reality distortion is not confusion.

It is manufactured confusion.

It happens when one person subtly reshapes facts, emotions, and narratives so consistently that the other person begins to question their own memory, perception, and sanity. Over time, your inner compass stops trusting itself.

This is not disagreement.This is psychological control.

What Is Reality Distortion?

Reality distortion is a core abuse technique often seen in narcissistic and emotionally unsafe relationships. The abuser does not deny reality outright at first. They bend it.

Small corrections. Soft justifications. Emotional storytelling that positions them as wounded and you as harmful.

Eventually, your lived experience is no longer yours.

How Reality Distortion Happens

• Your reactions are labeled as “overreacting”

• Your boundaries are reframed as “selfishness”

• Your pain becomes proof of their suffering

• Facts are acknowledged briefly — then emotionally overwritten

“Yes, that happened… BUT you made me do it.”

The BUT erases accountability.

Signs You’re Living Inside Distorted Reality

• You replay conversations to check if you’re “wrong”

• You apologise even when hurt

• You seek external validation for obvious facts

• You feel guilty for having clarity

• You fear being “unfair” while being deeply harmed

This is not empathy.This is erosion.

Why Reality Distortion Is So Damaging

Reality is the foundation of identity. When reality is attacked, self collapses.

Victims don’t lose intelligence - they lose orientation.

And once a person no longer trusts their own perception, control becomes effortless.

Reality Distortion vs Healthy Conflict

Healthy Conflict	Reality Distortion
Both realities exist	Only their reality survives
Accountability is present	Blame is redirected
Repair is possible	Confusion is permanent
You feel clearer	You feel smaller

The Way Back to Reality

Healing begins when:

• Facts are separated from feelings

• Accountability is non-negotiable

• Your perception is validated without correction

• You stop explaining your reality to someone committed to distorting it

Clarity is not cruelty. Seeing clearly is not betrayal.

If you feel like you’re constantly questioning yourself, If your truth is always “too much,”If clarity feels dangerous -

Book a session with an expert at SEVEE.CARE

Online counselling available globally.

For in-person sessions in Ahmedabad, WhatsApp +91 97127 77330

You don’t need to become stronger. You need your reality back.