When trauma is part of someone’s life, there will be some difficulty in developing bonds with others. Healthy relationships can be nonexistent with a history of negative experiences. As a result of these challenges, any trauma that has yet to be resolved can cause trauma bonding or codependent behaviors to arise.
The Trauma Bond
Quite often, someone who has been abused or traumatized in a relationship can become addicted to the affiliation with the person who victimized them. Like Stockholm Syndrome, they confuse the distrust and negative consequences with affection and loyalty for the perpetrator who caused them harm. Someone dealing with a trauma bond will become obsessed with this dysfunctional relationship without caring about how it negatively affects them.
The Codependent Bond
Another type of relationship that is unhealthy is a codependent one. A codependent person will enable a person’s bad behavior to depend on something other than themselves. Rather than looking at what they are going through, they will go to any lengths to accommodate another person in their life to take the attention off of them. Trauma can cause a higher risk of becoming codependent because enduring abuse or dysfunction can create a need to rely on another to gain acceptance in their life. The response of codependency can come from alleviating the pain of trauma. Caring about someone else’s needs before their own, even if it keeps that someone from hitting bottom, deceptively makes them feel better about themselves when the situation is actually harmful.
Breaking Free
Having the gumption to understand that relationships based on trauma bonds or codependence are no way to live can start the process to set them free from these harmful relationships. Both of these types of relationships rely on controlling someone else in order to attempt to keep their relationship intact at any cost. To break free from the negative relationships that an individual has been holding onto is possible. Treatment for trauma, addiction, codependency, and trauma bonds are readily available. Processing relationships with a therapist, learning to set boundaries in unhealthy relationships, and breaking free from those who are taking advantage of the situation can give a person in recovery the courage to assert themselves while developing their self-esteem.
Relationships are an essential part of a person’s life. Human touch and companionship is a basic necessity in life. Making sure that your bonds with others remain healthy and harmless is the goal. You can break out of the old mold of relationships, and with surrender and acceptance, you can start fresh.
When you are ready to recover and make a fresh start, The Guest House Ocala is here to support you. Our private residence offers the safety and seclusion you need to recover from trauma, addictions, and related mental health issues. Providing concierge-style care, your treatment plan is completely customized to meet your individual needs.
Everyone has a story. Call us today to start planning your journey to recovery at (855) 483-7800.