Would I trade the trauma bond I formed with her for the regular bond we might have had if things had been different? It’s a question I keep coming back to. Trauma bonds are messy and painful, but they force you to confront yourself in ways a regular connection often doesn’t. If I had moved to Atlanta in 2022 instead of North Carolina, the stalking wouldn’t have happened, and we might have formed a healthier, more stable bond. But without the rupture of the trauma bond, would Autism or personality disorders have ever crossed our minds? Would we have been forced to confront the unhealed wounds we carried?

This post explores the complexities of trauma bonds, the growth they can catalyze, and the systemic gaps in care that leave individuals like us navigating these revelations through crisis rather than support.