As we’ve talked about healthy attachments, two words kept cropping up in conversations: Trauma Bonding.

Many people used these words to describe the almost instant friendship between two people who have experienced the same trauma and can validate one another’s experience. However, this is known as “bonding over trauma”. (We’ll talk more about this next week).

However, a trauma bond is the emotionally addictive attachment between a victim of abuse and their abuser. Because those of us coming from backgrounds of religious and/or narcissistic abuse can develop these kinds of bonds, I felt it was worth exploring trauma bonds more in depth. In today’s episode, we explore what these bonds might look like, why it’s so hard to leave, and how to begin to heal.

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RESOURCES:

Arabi, Shahida. “The Real Reason Why We Love Bad Boys, Toxic Partners, and Emotionally Unavailable Men”. February 1, 2022. Thought Catalog.

Dahl, Ena. “Trauma Bonding is the Drug That Makes Abuse Feel Like Love”. February 26, 2020. Medium.com.

Lovering, Nancy. “What Is Trauma Bonding?” September 14, 2022. PyschCentral.com

Morton, Kati. “What is Trauma Bonding?”. November 12, 2018. YouTube.

The M3ND Project. “Trauma Bonding Explained: Signs and How to Break the Bond”.

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The post Emancipate Your Mind: 111: What Is Trauma Bonding? appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.