UPDATE: June 30, 2024 / The BioPsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ is still based on psychological, social and biological aspects of coercive control, but the name has now been shortened to The Quicksand Model™
As I continue research and consultation with other experts in the fields of coercive control within domestic abuse, cults, extremist groups, human trafficking, gangs, trauma, betrayal trauma and coercive violence, I continually tweak my PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ of coercive control to reflect emerging aspects and missing elements from early conceptualization of the model. The fields of coercive control and trauma, in particular, are growing rapidly, and every day I discover new research that supports the model and brings additional insights that are important to include.
While working with targeted victim/survivors of coercive control I have come to realize that a critical aspect of coercive control is missing from my model's name. I coined the term PsychoSocial Quicksand™ in 2021 to describe the psychological and social tactics & strategies coercive controllers use to trap target/victims in a confusing and terrifying situation, inescapable without assistance. But I left something out, and I don't mind admitting that what I left out is really important. Today I will remedy this exclusion.
In addition to the psychological and social aspects of coercive control that are used to entrap targets, there are also ways that a target's biology is weaponized against them, and is harmed by coercive control.
Civil, criminal and family courts are lagging way behind at incorporating research into their policies and practices. Through research we know that the single incident model of physical violence is NOT working. This perspective lacks the proper framework to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable, for several reasons. Firstly, our courts see physical violence, and the harm it causes the victim, as the only important aspect of domestic abuse. Many risk assessments focus exclusively on hitting, kicking, slapping, pushing, strangling, "choking", etc. However, this is a very limited perspective and is not in alignment with targeted victim's experiences.
Physical violence does cause physical harm, but what about the coercive controller's tactics that cause physical harm without ever laying a hand on the victim? This is another aspect of the single incident model of physical violence that causes problems. Domestic abuse, and coercive control, are not single incidents. They are patterns of behavior, occurring over time, and including many different types of abuse... not just physical violence. From research we know that psychological abuse, emotional abuse, litigious abuse, financial abuse, weaponizing children etc., all aspects of coercive control, cause physical harm. These harms are caused mainly by the toxic chronic stress created for the victim by the coercive controller.
We have known for decades that trauma and toxic stress damages the body's nervous system, the system that regulates the body's fight, flight, freeze or fawn response. It also negatively impacts our body's immune system, our cognitive abilities, our hormone regulation, and our brain. Toxic stress and trauma increases inflammation in the body, which can increase numerous disease processes, including artery and heart damage and auto-immune diseases. Trauma, which coercive control inevitably causes, if left unaddressed, can cause significant physical changes to the body and brain. These are physical impacts. They are biological harms, and in my opinion, means that coercive control, whether physical contact is made or not, is a form of Physical Violence.
Targeted victim/survivors of coercive control often develop numerous physical health problems from being subjected to the coercive controller's tactics, strategies and betrayal. It is time that we recognize these harmful impacts and begin to hold perpetrators of coercive control responsible for the enormous physical and biological damage they are doing to the target.
With these factors in mind, I would like to announce a name change for my model from The PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ to The BioPsychoSocial Quicksand™ (BPSQM™). (I have also added two new Doubles, Double Cross and Double Team, which I alluded to in a previous post, and which I will explain in future posts).
If you have been impacted by BioPsychoSocial Quicksand™ resulting from a coercive controller's coercive control, I want you to know that you are not alone, and you are not to blame! Coercive controllers are 100% responsible for their coercive control AND for any and ALL damage caused by their behavior. Just because the court doesn't understand this yet, does not mean that you have to live within their inaccurate reality of the single incident model of physical violence. Instead, you can frame your perspective using the BioPsychoSocial Quicksand Model™ of Coercive Control which, in addition to teaching easy ways to detect and prevent coercive control, also advocates that we #PartnerWithSurvivors and #PivotToThePerpetrator (two concepts incorporated from the Safe & Together Institute's Model).
Stay tune for the new Doubles, Double Cross and Double Team.
