✨Manipulation✨ · Mindset MasterClass

✨Manipulation✨

This post is NOT an argument for manipulation.

But I do have a few questions, prompted from the manipulation space y’all did on X:

A man I knew and trusted, asked me to help him with something. In good faith, I went to help.

When I got there, he harmed me. It was clear the attack was planned, evidenced by what he had with him.

If manipulation does not exist, what word(s) should I use to describe this man’s request for my help, when he had the hidden intent to harm me?

In the aftermath of this, I am struggling.

It has been VERY difficult for me to exercise my agency in such a way that keeps me safe, WITHOUT fueling cognitive distortions (i.e. all men are threats, I’m somehow to blame, etc.)?

It’s such a very delicate balance to keep.

To add to this, I want to be who I am—trusting. Willing to help. Seeing the best in people. Hopeful. And that is also difficult to do if safety takes precedence over everything else.

It’s like a loss of freedom for me.

And I value my freedoms. I value being who God created me to be. I value healthy thinking and decision making. And I value NOT being blamed for someone else’s choice to harm me.

Is that too much to ask?

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