Why do we need to focus on the pattern of coercive control? In short, the murders of seven family members by a Mormon father in Enoch, Utah is a classic example of why we need the context of coercive control to be the focus of domestic violence and abuse prevention efforts. If you haven't read the news […]
UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2, 2023: New research published October 2023 has established a new term for interfering in the relationship between a mother and child. It has been termed Child And Mother Sabotage (CAMS), and pertains to coercive and controlling behaviors by a father against his child and the mother of his child. THIS is the term […]
When a coercive controller feels a loss of control over their victim, escalation of coercive control is almost inevitable. Escalation can mean many things. It might mean that the coercive controller will use physical violence for the first time, or it might mean that they will double down on gaslighting them. Gaslighting is very destabilizing. […]
#CoerciveControl is said to be #InvisibleInPlainSight. The murders of these family members makes this fact crystal clear. As tightly knit as this community is, it appears that the #CoerciveController was not suspected to be abusive, let alone homicidal. The mother of the murdered children had filed for divorce. Separation/Divorce is the most dangerous time for […]
This coercive control research shows what domestic abuse advocates and survivors of coercive control have known all along... that one of the abuser's most powerful weapons to harm his partner or ex-partner is to weaponize the children. It seem counter-intuitive that a father would knowingly hurt his kids to get back at his ex, but that's exactly what happens […]
I was struck by this poem (below) at the beginning of the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme (VKPP) Domestic Homicides and Suspected Victim Suicides 2021-2022Year 2 Report. Why? Probably because it rang so true for me as a coercive control survivor and expert in coercive control. I have, many times, felt the hopelessness and helplessness of coercive control […]
The signs of #coercivecontrol are #InvisibleInPlainSight. These grieving family members are most likely telling the truth when they say there was "no warning sign". But I would be willing to bet that there were signs of coercive control. The family members just didn't know what to look for. It's not their fault they missed it. Most everyone […]
Every day I read articles of victim/survivors and targets of abuse and coercive control being failed by the system. The media tends to characterize the level of corruption, misogyny, racism etc. in these stories as "shocking". However, what is most frightening thing about these cases of systemic coercive control is that they are not "shocking". […]
I ran across this article this morning while working on my coercive control research study. Family court can be extremely re-traumatizing for victims of domestic violence, domestic abuse and coercive control. While this article on surviving family court was written for survivors in England and Wales, many of the suggestions are applicable to domestic abuse and coercive […]
If you know attorneys, therapists, court professionals, GALs, police or anyone who works directly with survivors of domestic abuse or coercive control by an individual or group, please consider recommending participation in my coercive control research study. The research study on coercive control includes seven training videos on coercive control and abuse by individuals, groups […]
