Hot Sauce: Original Gaslighting Torture
If you hadn’t heard the term before, you’ve definitely been exposed to the concept of gaslighting in recent months. Essentially, it’s a psychological manipulation that works by forcing victims to constantly doubt themselves.
Now that you know what it is, you know why it’s bandied about so casually these days. There’s quite a lot of fake news out there, and plenty of frightening stories that are quite real indeed. Doubt is easy currency in the world these days. We’re fighting a war against the invisible, after all.
Gaslighting Started with Capsaicin
Before gaslighting became the word du jour, however, we were busy bottling it up and selling it as the world’s hottest hot sauces.
Think about it for a moment. When you sample just the smallest drop of your favorite Mad Dog hot sauce, it tricks your brain into think you’re mouth is fully on fire. Mind trickery is exactly what’s meant by psychological manipulation. And when capsaicin sears through your throat, you’re definitely doubting yourself. You’ll still do it again. Over and over. You’ll doubt you can make your way through it. You’ll doubt that it was really that hot last time. And so it goes.
No Need for Gaslighting Here
But there’s good news to be found here, and not the fake kind.You see, you know you’re not physically on fire when you indulge in a little Mad Dog hot sauce. Sure, you doubt yourself, but you’re not. All you’ve done is trigger the same pain receptors as you would’ve if you were truly on fire. Knowing that, you can actually talk your way out of the pain you feel; you no longer need to doubt yourself.
Apply the same principle any time you think gaslighting is on the cards. You can remain strong and confident in your convictions because you’ve trained yourself to do it. All you need to do is practice.
Yes, that means you’ll need to get your hands on the world’s hottest hot sauce. So it’s a good job we’ve been bottling it up for you to enjoy for over 30 years. All that’s left is for you to pick your favorite flavor. No gaslighting there; just pure pleasure.
