From Childhood Coping to Adult Attachment:
Recognising Trauma Bonding in Real Time.
As adults, we like to believe we stay in harmful dynamics because we are confused, weak or “too loyal.” But trauma bonding is not about stupidity. It is about adaptation, the brain and body learning that closeness and danger can sit in the same room and then mistaking that intensity for love, family or belonging.
Researchers have been testing versions of “traumatic bonding” for decades, including in intimate partner violence, where intermittent abuse and intermittent affection can strengthen emotional attachment rather than weaken it.
Latest research and newer work continues to link childhood maltreatment and attachment insecurity to higher risk for traumatic bonding patterns in adulthood.
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