Learning Not to Gaslight Yourself but to Test Every Thought

Have you ever dismissed your own feelings, ignored your instincts, or second-guessed what your body or spirit was trying to tell you?

This is what it means to gaslight yourself. It happens when you override your own awareness because it does not seem rational, socially acceptable, or even spiritual enough.

But here’s what I’ve come to learn. God did not create you to live disconnected from your inner world. He designed your spirit, mind, and body to work together. When we bring our thoughts and emotions to Him, we walk in deeper healing and discernment.


You Are Always Taking in Information

According to research, the human brain receives around 11 million bits of information per second from the environment. These come through your five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, along with internal signals like heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension.

Source: Britannica – Physiology and Information Theory

Yet only about 40 to 50 bits of that information are processed consciously. The rest is handled by your subconscious mind.


How Your Brain Filters What You Notice

The conscious mind allows you to focus, make decisions, and reflect. It works slowly but intentionally.

The subconscious mind, on the other hand, is always scanning and reacting. It filters incoming data based on your past experiences, core beliefs, emotional patterns, and learned assumptions. It is the mind beneath your awareness that shapes how you feel about people, situations, and even yourself.

Psychology calls this process cognitive filtering. The subconscious is the storehouse of memory and emotion. It guides your automatic responses, your tone of voice, your posture, and your first impressions. This is why two people in the same environment can experience it completely differently. One might feel safe, the other unsafe, even when nothing obvious seems to be happening.


You Also Perceive Energy and Atmosphere

There is more to your perception than physical senses. You were created as a spiritual being too. Many people report sensing the “energy” or “vibe” of a person or space. This may not be fully explained by science, but fields like interoception (internal bodily awareness) and mirror neurons (which help us feel others’ emotions) support this reality.

The Bible speaks of the spiritual gift of discerning spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10). The Holy Spirit enables believers to perceive atmospheres beyond what is visible.

I remember one morning when we had been robbed. I did not hear anything. I simply woke up and walked straight to the room where things had been stolen. I could not see clearly yet, but I already knew something was wrong. My body, spirit, and subconscious had picked up on something before my conscious mind understood it.


Don’t Dismiss What You Feel. Take It to God.

In our culture, we are often taught to ignore our emotions or question our instincts. But as believers, we should learn to process these things with God instead of silencing them.

God gave you emotions for a reason. He also gave you discernment and spiritual senses. However, because of the fall, our hearts are not always reliable. Scripture reminds us of this:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?”
— Jeremiah 17:9

This is why I do not trust my feelings on their own. Instead, I bring them to the Holy Spirit. I ask Him what is true. Sometimes He shows me that my reaction is based on pride or fear. Other times He reveals that what I am sensing is real and is a call to pray or speak.

When we process our thoughts with the Holy Spirit, He brings clarity, conviction, and peace.


Guarding the Subconscious Mind

Unprocessed thoughts and emotions do not just disappear. They go deeper into the subconscious and begin shaping how you see the world, others, and even God. Over time, these thoughts influence your decisions, your relationships, and your patterns of behavior.

This is why Scripture urges us to guard our hearts.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
— Proverbs 4:23

Jesus said:

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart… For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
— Luke 6:45

If we store anger, fear, bitterness, or shame in our hearts, it will eventually come out in our lives. But if we process our inner world with God, we give Him space to cleanse, heal, and renew us.


It Does Not Have to Take Hours

This process can be as simple as pausing in a moment and asking:

  • Holy Spirit, what am I feeling?
  • Why did that comment trigger me?
  • Is this my wound, or is this spiritual?
  • What are You saying about this situation?

You do not need long hours unless God is inviting you into deeper healing. Sometimes, clarity can come in a single moment of honesty before Him. What matters is being present and responsive.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.”
— John 16:13


The Practice of Testing Every Thought

Learning to pause and check your thoughts with the Holy Spirit is one of the most life-giving habits you can develop. It creates space for God’s truth to replace the lies that try to settle in your mind and heart.

“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 10:5

God does not want you to ignore what you feel. He wants you to examine it with Him. Because He alone sees the full picture, He will teach you how to discern what is truth, what needs healing, and what needs to be released.


Final Encouragement

You were made to discern. You were wired to perceive. You were created to walk with God in every area of your life.

As you learn to test every thought, feeling, and impression with the Holy Spirit, you will begin to walk in deeper peace, clearer thinking, and stronger spiritual sensitivity.

So do not shut yourself down. Do not silence your inner voice.
Instead, let the Holy Spirit teach you how to understand it, heal it, and renew it.

Jebichii Kimulwo
Jebichii Kimulwo
Articles: 19

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