In this episode of The Gaslight Effect Podcast, Dr. Robin Stern welcomes Dr. Christine Cocchiola, a leading expert, researcher, and advocate on the devastating impact of coercive control.

Dr. Cocchiola is the founder of the Coercive Control Consulting Institute, where she trains professionals and supports survivors in understanding and dismantling the hidden dynamics of abuse.

She is also the author of Framed and host of The Perfect Prey Podcast, where she amplifies survivor stories and deepens awareness around coercive control and narcissistic abuse.

Together, Robin and Christine explore how gaslighting and coercive control erode self-worth, why these patterns often go unnoticed, and what it takes to break free. They discuss the foundation of narcissistic abuse, the urgent need for awareness and education, and practical strategies for healing and empowerment.

Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of:

• How coercive control operates as the core of abusive relationships.

• Insights from Framed on navigating the aftermath of abuse.

• Lessons from The Perfect Prey Podcast that shed light on lived survivor experiences.

• Tools survivors can use to reclaim their voice and thrive beyond trauma.

Through her institute, book, and podcast, Dr. Cocchiola’s work shines a light on an often invisible form of abuse while offering survivors validation, clarity, and hope.

To check out this and other episodes, head over to robinstern.com.

Don't forget to subscribe to The Gaslight Effect Podcast on your favorite podcast platform, and be sure to leave us a review to let us know what you think. Until next time, remember: healing is a journey, and you don't have to walk it alone.

Dr. Robin Stern's Social Media Links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drrobinstern/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr.robinstern/

Twitter (X) - https://twitter.com/RobinSStern

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-stern-220b403a

Dr. Robin Stern's Books:

The Gaslight Effect

The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide

Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on The Gaslight Effect Podcast do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

In this deeply personal and illuminating episode of The Gaslight Effect Podcast, Dr. Robin Stern sits down with Irene’s Entropy—storyteller, musician, and fierce explorer of lived experience—to map the intersections between identity, mental health, and the subtle dynamics of gaslighting.

Through candid conversation, Irene shares her very personal journey of navigating internal and external turbulence: the disorienting effects of self-doubt, the complexities of her mental and emotional landscape, the ways in which others can warp one’s sense of reality, and what it takes to reclaim truth.

Irene's music—including Identity, Freedom Was Pain, Gaslight Me, Speak, P.T.S.D, and Bread 2 Stone—threads through the discussion, offering lyrical snapshots of the pain of manipulation, the struggle to define oneself, and the hard-won courage of reclaiming one’s voice.

Together, they explore:

• How emotional and societal expectations distort identity—and how gaslighting often shows up not only in relationships with others, but in the ways we silence or invalidate ourselves.

• The tipping point: identifying the patterns (in words, relationships, internal dialogue) that signal when “entropy” has taken over.

• Tools, practices, and mindsets that support disentangling from those patterns: how to “ground” reality, rebuild trust in one’s own perceptions, and find stable footing amid chaos.

• How storytelling, vulnerability, and creative expression—whether through conversation or songs like Speak—become acts of resistance and steps toward healing.

This episode offers both piercing insight and compassionate companionship for anyone who has questioned what is “real,” wrestled with self-identity, or felt lost in someone else’s narrative.

Robin and Irene remind us: you deserve clarity. You deserve truth. And with effort, you can rediscover the voice that gaslighting tried to erase.

Tune in for a conversation that’s raw, hopeful, and a reminder that even when things feel upside down, there are ways back to solid ground.

To check out this and other episodes, head over to robinstern.com.

Don't forget to subscribe to The Gaslight Effect Podcast on your favorite podcast platform, and be sure to leave us a review to let us know what you think. Until next time, remember: healing is a journey, and you don't have to walk it alone.

Dr. Robin Stern's Social Media Links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drrobinstern/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr.robinstern/

Twitter (X) - https://twitter.com/RobinSStern

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-stern-220b403a

Dr. Robin Stern's Books:

The Gaslight Effect

The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide

Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on The Gaslight Effect Podcast do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

Therapy language is everywhere—on social media, in conversations with friends, and inside our most intimate relationships. But what happens when words like “gaslighting,” “narcissist,” or “boundaries” are misunderstood—or worse, weaponized?

In this episode of The Gaslight Effect Podcast, host Dr. Robin Stern is joined by clinical psychologist and EFT-certified couples therapist Dr. Isabelle Morley, author of They’re Not Gaslighting You.

Together, they unpack the difference between well-intentioned misuse of therapy terms and deliberate manipulation, exploring how careless labeling can derail connection, fuel conflict, and obscure the reality of true gaslighting.

You’ll hear:

• How to tell the difference between misuse and weaponization of therapy speak

• Why labels can shut down vulnerability and repair in relationships

• A practical “response playbook” if therapy terms are being used against you

• How clinicians can reframe conversations and protect the integrity of therapy

• The role social media plays in spreading oversimplified—and often misleading—mental health content

Dr. Morley also shares insights from her new book, reminding us that intimacy requires risk, repair, and careful use of language.

Learn more at drisabellemorley.com

Follow Dr. Morley on Instagram: @drisabellemorley

To check out this and other episodes, head over to robinstern.com.

Don't forget to subscribe to The Gaslight Effect Podcast on your favorite podcast platform, and be sure to leave us a review to let us know what you think. Until next time, remember: healing is a journey, and you don't have to walk it alone.

Dr. Robin Stern's Social Media Links:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/drrobinstern/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dr.robinstern/

Twitter (X) - https://twitter.com/RobinSStern

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-stern-220b403a

Dr. Robin Stern's Books:

The Gaslight Effect

The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide

Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on The Gaslight Effect Podcast do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.