Gaslighting after betrayal can make you question your memory, your emotions, and your reality — and that confusion is not weakness. It's a trauma response.

In this episode of Ask The Betrayed, Rae sits down with gaslighting specialist and CORE Relationship Recovery team member Sarah Morales (SarahMoralesCoaching.com) to break down what gaslighting actually is, why it's so damaging after infidelity, and how betrayed partners can reclaim clarity and self-trust.

Sarah shares her framework for identifying gaslighting behaviors without getting trapped in the endless question: "Did they mean to?" You'll learn why gaslighting doesn't always come from narcissism, how shame can drive gaslighting patterns, and the difference between gaslighting vs. a gaslighting attempt — a powerful shift that restores agency and reduces self-doubt.

We also discuss:
✅ The most common question betrayed partners ask: "Was that gaslighting?"
✅ Sarah's core definition that helps you answer that question
✅ Why gaslighting produces deep self-doubt and loss of self-trust
✅ What is Self-gaslighting?
✅ The red flags of internalized manipulation
✅ Unfaithful partners: discerning between intention vs impact — and how gaslighting blocks repair
✅ Practical hope: how healing reduces gaslighting behaviors over time

If you've ever thought, "Maybe I am too much" or "Maybe I'm crazy," - you're not - and this episode is for you.

✨Where to find Sarah and take her courses:
Listen to her podcast: Deconstructing Gaslighting (2 seasons / 50+ episodes)
For Courses, visit: https://www.sarahmoralescoaching.com/ → Deconstructing Gaslighting Academy TM (https://www.sarahmoralescoaching.com/...)

Please note: "Deconstructing Gaslighting" is a Trademark (TM) of Sarah Morales and may not be used without express permission

💬 How have you been gaslighted? Please leave a comment below - we'd love to hear from you

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Join Sharon and Rae every two weeks for grounded, empathetic conversations about healing after betrayal, rebuilding your identity, strengthening your voice, and reclaiming your life.

Please share this episode with someone rebuilding clarity after betrayal trauma.

📬 If you have questions you'd like us to answer in an episode, or would like to inquire about coaching with Rae or therapy help, including intensives, with Sharon and James, please reach out to us at: AskTheBetrayed@gmail.com

🎧 You can also find us on Apple, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are found.

🔗 Need help healing? Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com (Email: Info@HopeForUs.com ) or find Rae at www.HealingTalksBack.com (Email: Rae@HealingTalksBack.com )

Our Website: https://www.AskTheBetrayed.com

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

In this episode, Sharon and Rae unpack a surprisingly common barrier to healing after betrayal trauma — "Cat Poster Thinking" the mindset of believing "I already know how this works" or relying on clichés, platitudes, and intellectual over-control to cope. And while it may feel protective, it can quietly block real growth, connection, and emotional transformation.

This episode also helps the Unfaithful see how they self-limit their own growth in recovery.

Together they explore:
✨ Why betrayed partners crave control after trauma
✨ How trauma filters your perception and limits what you can "see"
✨ Why intellectual insight alone can't heal a shattered heart
✨ What happens when you try to think your way out of pain
✨ How over-talking, over-explaining, and "knowing everything" disconnects you from help
✨ How to shift from head-level knowing → to heart-level healing
✨ Why receiving guidance from a trained professional is essential
✨ What real, embodied healing looks and feels like
✨ How betrayed partners can carry too much of the emotional load without being aware of it
✨ How to let go of the urge to lead, fix, or parent your unfaithful partner
✨ Simple questions & practices to move from superficial coping to deep, meaningful change

This is an episode filled with stories, real-life clinical examples, neurobiological insight, and grounded wisdom. If you're stuck in trauma responses, struggling to trust your therapist, or feeling disconnected from your own healing, this conversation is for you.

💬 Please comment below

🔔 Please Subscribe (and Like) for More
Join Sharon and Rae every two weeks for grounded, empathetic conversations about healing after betrayal, rebuilding your identity, strengthening your voice, and reclaiming your life.

Please share this video with someone who needs encouragement in their healing journey.

📬 If you have questions you'd like us to answer in an episode, or would like to inquire about coaching with Rae or therapy help, including intensives, with Sharon and James, please reach out to us at: AskTheBetrayed@gmail.com

🎧 You can also find us on Apple, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are found.

🔗 Need help healing? Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com (Email: Info@HopeForUs.com ) or find Rae at www.HealingTalksBack.com (Email: Rae@HealingTalksBack.com)

Our Website: https://www.AskTheBetrayed.com

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

In this episode of Ask The Betrayed - Shorts, Sharon speaks directly to anyone feeling shattered, lost, or hopeless after infidelity. She explains why betrayed partners often cling to the hope that the old relationship can be restored—and why real hope comes from something deeper: rebuilding your sense of self, your worth, and your inner clarity.

Sharon shares personal insight, including the moment she realized she had to live for herself, align her life with her values, and rebuild a foundation strong enough to stand on—with or without the relationship. She teaches how to shift from living in reaction to living intentionally, how to reclaim the parts of yourself you abandoned, and how to find tiny sparks of hope even in devastation.

This is a message for every betrayed partner who wonders: Will I ever be okay again?
The answer is yes. And it begins with turning inward, grounding in your truth, and taking one small courageous step at a time.

💛 In This Episode You'll Learn:
• Why hope feels impossible after betrayal—and why it matters
• The difference between hoping for the old relationship vs. hoping for your healing
• How changed reality, secret lives, and grief shape the hopelessness you feel
• The moment Sharon realized healing required living for herself
• How to rebuild self-worth after betrayal
• Why focusing inward—not on the unfaithful partner—is essential
• How to shift from defense to offense in your own life
• Small daily choices that awaken hope again

Hope isn't naïve — it's choosing to believe healing is possible even when the path is unclear.

💬 Please comment below

🔔 Please Subscribe (and Like) for More
Join Sharon and Rae every two weeks for grounded, empathetic conversations about healing after betrayal, rebuilding your identity, strengthening your voice, and reclaiming your life.

Please share this video with someone who needs encouragement in their healing journey.

📬 If you have questions you'd like us to answer in an episode, or would like to inquire about coaching with Rae or therapy help, including intensives, with Sharon and James, please reach out to us at: AskTheBetrayed@gmail.com

🎧 You can also find us on Apple, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are found.

🔗 Need help healing? Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com (Email: Info@HopeForUs.com ) or find Rae at www.HealingTalksBack.com (Email: Rae@HealingTalksBack.com )

Our Website: https://www.AskTheBetrayed.com

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery