Distorted: The Psychology of Gaslighting, the Power of Story, and the Practice of Clarity (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798993261430)

What if the most powerful tool of control isn't a lie - but making you doubt the truth you already hold?

In Distorted, strategist and media voice Jim Detjen pulls back the curtain on the subtle art of gaslighting - not only in relationships, but across politics, culture, technology, education, and even faith. Through gripping stories, cultural case studies, and sharp aphorisms, he reveals how "poetic truths" - stories that feel right but ignore facts - have quietly reshaped our shared reality.

Inside, you'll discover:

• The gaslighter's playbook - denial, doubt, dependence, control - and how to spot each move in real time.
• How politics, media, and culture reframe facts until they vanish.
• Case studies from the NFL concussion scandal, Volkswagen's "clean diesel," the COVID era, social media algorithms, and more.
• Why history, from Roman gladiators to modern warfare, shows the same choreography of distortion.
• What the "fringe" reveals - from UFOs to the Mandela Effect - when official stories collide with lived experience.
• How language itself - from euphemisms to buzzwords like gaslighting - becomes a weapon.
• Practical counter-moves to resist manipulation and reclaim clarity.

Distorted is not just diagnosis - it's defense. With memorable maxims ("The lie gets the billboard. The truth gets the broom."), it arms readers with a framework to resist distortion and protect their perception in an age where doubt is manufactured.

For readers of Malcolm Gladwell, Jonathan Haidt, or Orwell's 1984, this is both a cultural lens and a survival manual for the fog of the information age.

✨ Whether you're scrolling headlines, sitting in a boardroom, or talking at your own dinner table, Distorted will change how you see - and what you trust.