Recently, I accomplished a challenging athletic goal I’d been working toward for many years. And yet a month or so afterward, the thought came, “Did that really happen?” One of my children, who had witnessed it, laughed when I shared this somewhat ridiculous thought.

Second-guessing ourselves on occasion is a tendency many of us can relate to, but this can sometimes take a more insidious form known today as “self-gaslighting.” It’s when a person denies their own experience or understanding of something—even of their perception of what is real—and it usually involves self-condemnation and self-doubt.

It can be especially important to be aware of this when practicing Christian Science healing. The human mind’s tendency to belittle our best efforts or to forget the goodness we have experienced would fool us into believing we’ve never had an inspired thought or an instance of healing.