There is a big difference between healthy attachment, which may have its ups and downs and a trauma bond. A trauma bond is a universal bond that finds its roots in shared emotional and/or physical trauma. It is an unhealthy bond and can be very hard to break.

Domestic violence researchers, Dutton and Painter noted decades ago that domestic violence victims behaved like bank robbery victims in Stockholm in the 1960’s ...they bonded to and protected their abusers. I believe we are susceptible to this type of ‘addictive’ bond because of our attachment/belonging needs. We are also wired to need to attached when faced with danger. Quantum entanglement provides an explanation of this as well. A trauma bond can occur at any point in our lives, whether or not we had happy childhoods. Essentially, if someone is involved in a relationship that involves any kind of abuse and feels compelled to stay, the reason for staying is almost certainly a trauma bond. The good news is that it is possible to break free. I developed a protocol to release people from this 30 years ago. This protocol was used with with great success on thousands of former victims of domestic violence.

Presentation on Trauma Bonding

The one-hour presentation, which provides 1 CEU for Florida Master’s Level licensed clinicians, will provide a thorough definition, a deeper look at the components of a trauma bond as well as a summary of the treatment.

Link to Training