trauma bond withdrawal symptoms are common after breaking free from a trauma bond. This article covers all of these symptoms and why they occur.
A relationship ending is a common form of grief, resulting in heartbreak and intense feelings of loss. However, when a trauma bond relationship ends, breaking free can be a difficult and confusing time.
trauma bonds are insidious, dependent connections in which a target of abuse develops a strong attachment to their abuser. The reason for this intense attachment is due to how an abuser forges a sense of "addiction" within their target for their affection and attention.
If you or someone you know has escaped a trauma bond, it’s important to know what trauma bond withdrawal symptoms are, that they’re normal, and how to cope. Awareness of this information can reduce the chances that the target of abuse will reenter the trauma bond relationship.
To help raise awareness of trauma bond withdrawal symptoms, this article covers:
Why trauma bond withdrawal happens
What the emotional symptoms of trauma bond withdrawal are
The psychological symptoms of trauma withdrawal
The physiological symptoms of trauma withdrawal
How to cope with trauma bond withdrawal symptoms
Why Does Trauma Bond Withdrawal Happen?
A trauma bond is a psychological response to cycles of abuse in which an abuser alternates periods of affection and love with belittlement and blame. Due to these cycles, the target forms a sense of psychological and physical “addiction” to the validation associated with the stages of affection and praise.
Furthermore, a trauma bond is both positively and negatively reinforced for the target. This reinforcement makes it more likely that the target will stay in the relationship or experience withdrawal symptoms when they break from it.
Positive reinforcement in a trauma bond occurs when an abuser love-bombs, praises, and validates the target to facilitate dependence. The target responds by experiencing an increase in the hormones in the reward system of the brain and craves this validation during periods when the abuser is belittling them.
Negative reinforcement in a trauma bond happens when the abuser ceases providing affection and praise and enters one of the abusive stages of the trauma bond, such as gaslighting. The cessation of the positive stages creates a desire within the target for their return, leading them to do whatever they can to bring it back.
If you would like to know more about the stages of trauma bonding, our article on the topic has all the information you need.
As you can see, breaking free from a trauma bond is a complicated process due to how targets of abuse are continually reinforced to stay within the relationship. We’ve broken the different types of trauma bond withdrawal down to help further increase understanding.
Emotional Symptoms of Trauma Bond Withdrawal
Due to how an abuser within a trauma bond dynamic creates a sense of self-blame and guilt within the target of their abuse, the target often experiences the following symptoms of emotional trauma bond withdrawal.
Confusion: The target may feel unclear about their feelings towards their abuser. After all, they experienced strong feelings of infatuation – even love – towards their abuter due to the love-bombing stage of the trauma binding.
自我怀疑：受害者常常会内化感到应该为施害者的行为负责的感觉。因此，他们很可能会觉得自己如果表现得更好，施害者就不会虐待他们。此外，在长时间的煤气灯照耀和贬低之后，他们可能会失去自我。这可以在尝试重构生活时增加自疑。
渴望：在爱轰炸和依赖锻造的创伤绑定期间，与施害者形成深厚的情感联系，一旦创伤绑定被打破，人们通常会怀念这种“高潮”。
恐惧被遗弃：低自尊和自尊的人可能更容易发展成创伤绑定。这或许是因为童年或随后的关系中，他们被教导自己不值得亲昵。因此，在创伤绑定中，施害者利用他们对被抛弃的恐惧。
内疚和自我责备：目标可能会对自己离开或报告施害者感到极度内疚。此外，他们可能会责怪自己导致施害者的行为。
隔离：由于感到羞耻和失落，以及失去了自我，一个人逃离创伤绑定后可能会与朋友和家人隔离。他们也可能选择不参与之前喜欢的活动。
心理学症状
除了情感上的创伤绑定退出症状外，受虐目标还可能出现负面心理症状。
认知失调：当我们持有一种相互矛盾的观点、态度和价值观时，就会产生认知失调。受虐目标的受虐和依附可能导致认知失调，并激发他们回到关系中以减轻心神不安。
依恋问题：关系的结束和在其中的治疗触发了之前的依恋问题。这可能会导致回避未来的关系，或者相反，个人可能会难以创建健康的未来纽带或被吸引到不健康的伴侣关系动态。
创伤后压力症：在创伤绑定的情况下被打破后可能会出现创伤后压力症，例如噩梦和闪回关于虐待。
焦虑：关系的失去和突然丧失施害者可以引起目标对施害者正在做什么或将要用什么反应的强烈担忧。此外，他们可能错误地担心自己对他们的行为负有责任。
抑郁症：在创伤绑定的结束时，目标可能感到绝望和空虚。他们的焦点不再存在，则将来的事情似乎看起来暗淡无光。
过度警觉：目标可能因为对离开关系的后果感到害怕而持续警惕潜在的威胁。
物理症状
一旦有人逃离了创伤绑定，他们可能会经历以下物理退出症状：
奖励系统激素减少：创伤绑定循环可以通过激起对迷恋或奖励的“高潮”而导致荷尔蒙的激增，而在最终的关系结束时这些激素恢复到正常水平，这可能导致情绪低落。
失眠和疲劳：由于恶梦和闪回，目标可能讨厌并挣扎着睡觉。这可能导致低能量并导致焦虑和抑郁等情绪障碍。
食欲变化：一旦结束创伤绑定，目标可能会试图通过过量饮食来处理他们的负面情绪，或者在食欲上出现丧失。
头痛和肌肉紧张：常常，强烈的焦虑和情绪低落的身体表现可能在身体上表现为头痛和肌肉紧张。
