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Distorted: The Psychology of Gaslighting, the Power of Story, and the Practice of Clarity
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.
Drawing on case studies from media, government, and Harvard University, Distorted also examines how institutional process shapes what information reaches the public. Through analysis of academic work on executive decision-making and policy coordination, the book shows how language becomes more measured as it moves through formal systems — not through deception, but through structures designed to produce alignment, stability, and consensus.
Inside, you'll
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 artificial intelligence as a new engine of narrative control.Why history, from Roman gladiators to modern warfare, follows the same choreography.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.
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.
Drawing on case studies from media, government, and Harvard University, Distorted also examines how institutional process shapes what information reaches the public. Through analysis of academic work on executive decision-making and policy coordination, the book shows how language becomes more measured as it moves through formal systems — not through deception, but through structures designed to produce alignment, stability, and consensus.
Inside, you'll
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 artificial intelligence as a new engine of narrative control.Why history, from Roman gladiators to modern warfare, follows the same choreography.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.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2026
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