Psychologist reveals 3 signs your partner is manipulating you to stop you from leaving

A psychologist has revealed three signs your partner is manipulating you to stop you leaving - from gas lighting to financial control and isolating you.

Birmingham-based chartered psychologist and author Dr Lalitaa Suglani, who offers courses on topics including managing anxiety, overcoming fear and imposter syndrome, took to Instagram to share information on the topic in a recent video post.

She accompanied the video with a caption which said: 'Have you ever felt like you couldn't trust your thoughts because your partner insisted you said something you're pretty sure you didn't?

'And how often do you end up saying sorry even when you know you didn't do anything wrong?'

She continued, writing that manipulation can be so sneaky that 'we don't even notice it happening'.

A psychologist has revealed three signs that your partner may be manipulating you into staying in a relationship with them

Listing the three ways a person can manipulate their partner into staying in a relationship, she said: 'Number one is gaslighting.

'This involves manipulating someone into questioning their own perceptions, their own memories and sanity.

'Abusers may use gaslighting techniques to make their partner doubt their experiences, making them feel confused and uncertain about leaving.'

She also listed isolation, which she described as being where your partner 'may isolate you from your family and your friends and other supportive networks'.

This, she said, is to 'control their access to help or information making it harder for them to leave the relationship'. 

Continuing the video, Dr Suglani said: 'Number three is financial control. 

'This is where they may control all of their partner's finances, making them dependent on money or resources. 

'This can really create barriers to leaving as you can fear unable to support yourself or your children if they leave the relationship is three hidden ways and manipulative.'

A number of social media users took to the post to share their own experiences with manipulative relationships

A number of Instagram users commenting on the video, sharing their experiences with the behaviours she mentioned.

One wrote: 'Yep , those three ways sound far too familiar to me. Thank god I was eventually able to extricate myself , however the impact from years of this and pernicious behaviour takes a lot of work to move on.'

Another added: 'Wow. Totally felt this one. And as with a many other things in a narc relationship -its only after the end and you think back to all those moments that you realized exactly what they were doing. Saddest of all - I’m not always sure they are even aware in that moment that they are doing it, but not because of innocence, but because they are well practiced at doing it.'

Meanwhile, a third simply said: 'This is how it was.'  

Dr Suglani regularly posts on Instagram where she covers a number of mental health topics including relationships and others

One of the issues she covers regularly is high-functioning anxiety (HFA) which she has written an upcoming book about, and which is believed to affect some 20 per cent of adults in the UK.

HFA is described as a condition where 'individuals appear competent and accomplished on the outside while silently battling intense worry, self-doubt, and fear of failure internally'. 

Some 20 per cent of UK adults are believed to suffer from High Functioning Anxiety - a topic Dr Suglani has written an upcoming book about

High-Functioning Anxiety A 5-step Guide To Calming The Inner Panic and Thriving will be released on May 28.

According to information about the tome, in it, Dr Lalitaa 'shares her personal journey of self discovery and growth, shedding light on High Functioning Anxiety and offering readers a path to understanding and embracing their authentic selves'. 

The book examines the root causes of HFA, as well as the science behind it, and the behaviours associated with it, using real life case studies.

It also offers those with the condition a 'toolkit to manage fear, anxiety, and self-doubt'. 

The psychologist said of the book: 'For those battling internal anxieties and self-doubt, let this book act as a beacon of hope, and a reminder that we are all inherently good enough just as we are.'