A Short-Term CBT-Based Intervention for Gaslighting in Intimate Partner Violence: A Case Study Utilizing Web-Based Dysfunctional Thought Record

Abstract

Gaslighting within intimate relationships has received increasing public and scholarly attention; however, empirical research on clinical interventions remains limited, particularly in South Korea. This case study examines the effects of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based intervention on cognitive confusion, depression, and guilt in a Korean woman experiencing gaslighting in an intimate partner violence (IPV) context. A mixed single-case design was employed, incorporating repeated in-session measures and a 12-month follow-up assessment. The intervention consisted of 12 sessions of structured CBT, including case formulation, a web-based Dysfunctional Thought Record (DTR), and cognitive restructuring using Socratic questioning. Results indicated reductions in self-doubt, depression, and guilt, with self-doubt demonstrating a sustained decline across treatment (NAP = .95; Tau-U = 1.00). Findings suggest that short-term CBT targeting self-doubt may reduce cognitive confusion and negative affect in individuals experiencing gaslighting. Additionally, a web-based DTR may support clients in validating their experiences and facilitating cognitive restructuring in contexts of repeated reality distortion. Despite limitations of a single-case design, this study highlights the clinical utility of short-term CBT-based interventions for gaslighting in IPV relationships.

Keywords

gaslighting intimate partner violence cognitive behavioral therapy self-doubt web-based dysfunctional thought record single-case study

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abramson

(2014). Turning up the lights on gaslighting. Philosophical Perspectives, 28(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpe.12046

Averill

J. R.

(1983). Studies on anger and aggression: Implications for theories of emotion. American Psychologist, 38(11), 1145–1160. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.38.11.1145

Bates

E. A.

(2020). “Walking on egg shells”: A qualitative examination of men’s experiences of intimate partner violence. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(1), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000203

Beck

A. T.

(1970). Cognitive therapy: Nature and relation to behavior therapy. Behavior Therapy, 1(2), 184–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(70)80030-2

Beck

J. S.

(2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Bhatti

M. M.

Shuja

K. H.

Aqeel

Bokhari

Gulzar

S. N.

Fatima

Sama

(2023). Psychometric development and validation of victim gaslighting questionnaire (VGQ): Across female sample from Pakistan. International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, 16(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-12-2020-0119

Bryngeirsdottir

H. S.

Halldorsdottir

(2022). Fourteen main obstacles on the journey to post-traumatic growth as experienced by female survivors of intimate partner violence: “It was all so confusing”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5377. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095377

Bui

T. H. T.

Nguyen

T. N. N.

Hoang

M. A.

Tran

T. T. H.

(2026). Exploring gaslighting experience and authenticity in romantic relationships among Vietnamese young adults. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 48(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-025-09619-x

Cloninger

C. R.

Przybeck

T. R.

Svrakic

D. M.

Wetzel

R. D.

(1994). The temperament and character inventory (TCI): A guide to its development and use. Center for Psychobiology of Personality, Washington University.

10.

Darke

Paterson

van Golde

(2025). Illuminating gaslighting: A comprehensive interdisciplinary review of gaslighting literature. Journal of Family Violence, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-025-00805-4

11.

de Oliveira

I. R.

(2007). Sentence-reversion-based thought record (SRBTR): A new strategy to deal with “yes, but.” dysfunctional thoughts in cognitive therapy. Revue Europeenne de Psychologie Appliquee, 57(1), 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erap.2006.01.002

12.

Dickson

Ireland

J. L.

Birch

(2023). Gaslighting and its application to interpersonal violence. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 9(1), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-07-2022-0029

13.

Dorpat

T. L.

(1996). Gaslighting, the double whammy, interrogation, and other methods of covert control in psychotherapy and analysis. Jason Aronson.

14.

Grasa

Corripio

Peris-Baquero

Roldán

Selma

Osma

(2024). Opening treatment windows for treatment-resistant schizophrenia: Improving emotion regulation strategies using the unified protocol in a case study in Spain. Clinical Case Studies, 23(2), 87–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/15346501231190912

15.

Hailes

H. P.

Goodman

L. A.

(2025). “They’re out to take away your sanity”: A qualitative investigation of gaslighting in intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Violence, 40(2), 269–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-023-00652-1

16.

Han

Lim

Min

Lee

Moon

Kim

(2006). Minnesota multiphasic personality Inventory-2: Korean version (MMPI-2) manual. Maumsarang.

17.

Hathaway

S. R.

McKinley

J. C.

(1989). Minnesota multiphasic personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2): Manual for administration and scoring. University of Minnesota Press.

18.

Hermans

Feyaerts

Meganck

Desmet

(2026). For crying out loud: A psychoanalytic case study on the patient’s complaint. Clinical Case Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15346501261442156

19.

Hightower

(2017). An exploratory study of personality factors related to psychological abuse and gaslighting. William James College.

20.

Hollon

S. D.

(2021). Case formulation in standard cognitive therapy: A commentary on chapter “case formulation in standard cognitive therapy.”. In Caselli

Sassaroli

Ruggiero

G. M.

(Eds.), CBT case formulation as therapeutic process (pp. 39–44). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63587-9_4

21.

Horner

R. H.

Carr

E. G.

Halle

McGee

Odom

Wolery

(2005). The use of single-subject research to identify evidence-based practice in special education. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 165–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290507100203

22.

Kazdin

A. E.

(2011). Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

23.

Kim

J. H.

Kwon

D. J.

Yang

N. M.

(2024). The relationship between codependence, self-esteem, social support and gaslighting among adults in their 20s. Journal of Social Sciences, 35(4), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.16881/jss.2024.10.35.4.91

24.

Kim

S. Y.

(2026). Nunchi across cultures: Cultural interpretation and psychometric validation in South Korea and the United States. Cross-Cultural Research, 60(1), 23–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/10693971251360452

25.

Kratochwill

T. R.

Levin

J. R.

(2010). Enhancing the scientific credibility of single-case intervention research: Randomization to the rescue. Psychological Methods, 15(2), 124–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017736

26.

Lee

U. K.

(2018). SCT sentence completion test manual. Insight of Psychology.

27.

Leedom

L. J.

(2019). Partner abuse: The insidious effects of gaslighting and narcissistic manipulation. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

28.

Lewin

J. W. D.

Fletcher

H. K.

(2026). CBT for tinnitus distress adapted for a person with a learning disability: A single-case quasi-experimental design. Clinical Case Studies, 25(3), 180–197. https://doi.org/10.1177/15346501261418709

29.

Miller

McCaw

(2019). Intimate partner violence. New England Journal of Medicine, 380(9), 850–857. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1807166

30.

Min

B. B.

H. S.

Lee

J. Y.

(2007). Temperament and character inventory–revised short (TCI-RS) manual: Korean version. Maumsarang.

31.

Nagae

Dancy

B. L.

(2010). Japanese women’s perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV). Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(4), 753–766. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260509334413

32.

Park

(2024). A cultural psychological understanding of coexistence in Korean society: Focusing on vertical and horizontal relationalism. Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issues, 30(4), 635–649. https://doi.org/10.20406/kjcs.2024.11.30.4.635

33.

Reyal

H. P.

Dissanayake

Gunarathna

Soysa

Fernando

M. S.

Senarathna

(2024). Association between individual-level socioeconomic factors and intimate partner violence victimisation in women: A systematic review protocol. BMJ Open, 14(3), Article e080117. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080117

34.

Rotter

J. B.

Rafferty

J. E.

Schachtitz

(1949). The rotter incomplete sentences blank. Psychological Corporation.

35.

Stern

(2018). The gaslight effect: How to spot and survive the hidden manipulation others use to control your life (Rev. ed.). Harmony Books.

36.

Sweet

P. L.

(2019). The sociology of gaslighting. American Sociological Review, 84(5), 851–875. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419874843

37.

Thornback

Muller

R. T.

(2015). Relationships among emotion regulation and symptoms during trauma-focused CBT for school-aged children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 50(4), 182–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.09.011

38.

Toprak

T. B.

(2026). Integrating the 4T psychoeducational model into cognitive-behavioral therapy: A case study of harm-related obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clinical Case Studies, 25(3), 159–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/15346501261418652

39.

Ward

(2026). Serial infidelity and psychological abuse: Diagnostic blind spots in recognising betrayal trauma. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/00912174261428855