Is It Love Or Just Trauma Bonding? How To Know For Sure

A lot of us are not familiar with trauma bonding. As we meet new gorgeous people online, we will eventually realize its importance. We have to understand it because it’s a type of attachment to a person that can be very toxic. Commonly, trauma bonding occurs when one is dating a person with a narcissistic personality.

Is It Love Or Just Trauma Bonding? How To Know For Sure | Anastasia Date

Everything You Need To Know About Trauma Bonding

Trauma bonding is a result of a continuous cycle of abuse where both reward and punishment are intermittently given to produce an emotional bond that is resistant to change. Simply, one person is extremely hot one minute, then extremely cold the next. For example, one person in the relationship could be singing praises about the other. After a while, the same person is being cruel, threatening or intimidating. As described, trauma bonding occurs in two steps:

1. Love Bombing

Love bombing happens when the person shows you how important you are to them. It could be expressed through praises, playfulness, physical touch, or words of affirmation. Usually, a narcissist will start with this to make you feel good and get you hooked.

2. Cruelty

After love bombing you, the person you are in a relationship with will explode. He or she will do a 180-flip and turn into Mr. or Ms. Hyde. The person will be very condescending, cruel, or manipulative, making you feel the worst about yourself.

What To Do When Trauma Bonding Happens To You

As with any potentially dangerous situation, you have to disengage. Detach yourself from the toxic person. It’s going to be a challenge because it’s likely that you will feel confused and unsure of yourself. But, you will see the difference in your emotions and even thought process when you have finally broken out of the spell. Stay updated with different ways in which a narcissist works. Be careful not to enter into a relationship with a person that could do this to you. For more relationship tips, read other posts on the blog.