TRAUMA BONDING: Why You Can’t Stop Loving the Narcissist, and How to Break Free From the Trauma Bond and Thrive in the Aftermath

Why can’t she just leave? Why can’t he end a relationship that is clearly toxic? These questions baffle us when we see people getting sucked deeper into abusive or dysfunctional relationships that bring them nothing but misery and distress. The victims, apart from worrying about their safety, security and logistics of starting over, also find themselves unable to break free from such connections. This perceived inability is rooted in a strong emotional attachment, known as trauma bonding, which stems from a repeated cycle of abuse, depreciation, and positive reinforcement. “How can I leave him/her?” “I can’t imagine my life without them.” “But s/he loves me.” “I think I too have a part to play in our relationship troubles.” These are often the statements victims of abuse make to justify staying in a relationship that is harmful and damaging. This happens when abuse becomes cyclic, constantly padded by intimacy and kindness, resulting in powerful, often conflicting feelings you struggle to make sense of. In this book TRAUMA BONDING, we will look at the different dimensions of trauma bonds, to help you understand what they are, why there are formed, how they are formed, and how you can heal from one.