What is Betrayal Trauma?

Betrayal trauma has been defined as “being betrayed by a key relationship, such as a parent, caregiver, guardian, significant other, or other individual who is relied upon for support and safety.[1]”

It is a major violation of a deep attachment bond.

The symptoms of betrayal trauma include:

– Intrusive thoughts and images

– Insomnia and broken sleep

– Nightmares or flashbacksrelated to learning about the betrayal, and what that means for the relationship)

– Hypervigilance (constantly scanning your environment for potential threats related to being hurt, or harmed, or betrayed again)

– Extreme anxiety and fearfulness

– Depression

– Feeling emotionally unstable; having unexpected mood swings; finding it hard to regulate your emotions

– Feeling emotionally numb

– Dissociating to avoid the pain, and the reality of the situation

– Feeling disconnected and detached from the world and other people

– Being highly irritable, and prone…