Betrayal Trauma

Betrayal Trauma is unlike other forms of trauma. LaDonna Carey psychotherapist, MA in an interview with Laura Reagan, LCSW-C discusses what ‘Betrayal Trauma’

Is when somebody you were relying on for your security have blindsided you with something that knocked you of your feet security had been disrupted with that person I have known that I thought I have known for so many years is the most dangerous person to me and my safety.

They go on saying that betrayal trauma is more complex and deeper than just defining it as a spouse cheating and the other person needs to heal from that. They say it can be labelled as ‘Life Quake’ that everything falls apart and your safety and security is gone, the a person does not know what to save, how to save themselves and the possibility. Master manipulators make you question and doubt everything.

Scholars state that persons suffering from ‘Betrayal Trauma’ become ‘Hyper Alert’. The brain is hijacked from normal functioning to something is going to happen by such master manipulators.

Other definitions of Betrayal Trauma is

Betrayal, defined as when someone you trust hurts you or fails to do something they should, can take many different forms.

Betrayal Trauma takes many form and can be categorized into

Cultural Betrayal

In minority populations in particular, betrayal can occur within cultural communities. Membership in a minority group is characterized by a high degree of trust. You can feel safe and protected from social injustice by belonging to a group. Dissociation, hallucinations, and internalized bias can result from cultural betrayal trauma.

Familial Betrayal

An intimate bond between two people might be betrayed in a family by one of them. A family can be betrayed through intimate partner violence (IPV), infidelity and caregiver maltreatment during a child's upbringing. Nine Studies have connected dissociation and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in later life to parental betrayal.

Institutional Betrayal

When an institution hurts the individuals it purports to serve, betrayal trauma can occur. Governments, medical facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and law enforcement agencies can be examples of that. A therapist would breach a client's confidence, for instance, if they held them accountable for the trauma they had endured. The impact of such abuse might be exacerbated by that betrayal.

Symptoms include

Intrusive thoughts and images

Nightmares or flashbacks

Avoidance behaviors

Hypervigilance (constantly scanning your environment for potential threats)

Irritability or angry outbursts

Insomnia

Fearfulness

Social withdrawal

Feeling emotionally numb

Physical symptoms of tension headaches, migraines, and fatigue

Reference:

1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmfYpbIGcbM

2- https://relationalrecovery.com/complex-betrayal-trauma-emotional-dysregulation/#:~:text=Betrayal%20trauma%20makes%20you%20feel,state%20of%20emotional%20free%20fall.

3- https://www.charliehealth.com/post/betrayal-trauma

4- https://www.health.com/condition/mental-health-conditions/betrayal-trauma

5- https://mindwellnyc.com/top-betrayal-trauma-signs-triggers-strategies-to-recovery-2022/#:~:text=Betrayal%20trauma%20differs%20vastly%20from,upon%20for%20support%20and%20safety.