Emotional Dysregulation When Explaining Coercive Control Abuse

“Coercive control is about power and control and utter domination. It is a behavioural regime to exact control that occurs over time. It can be very subtle and nuanced. Coercive control includes isolation, exploitation, intimidation and/or threates or actual physical harm. The behaviour is insidious and undermines the victim’s sense of self.” -Laura Richards

Coercive control is an overwhelming form of abuse that can emotionally dysregulate a victim as they try to express what they are going through.

Explaining a form of abuse that over time can cause a person to lose the “very essence of their being” (Richards), is no easy task.

Our system of justice seriously lacks education on coercive control and its impact in abuse cases. Most importantly, victims of coercive control should be made aware of the information on such abuse.

Awareness is a key component in healing.

Adults and children alike can be victims of coercive control.

Laura Richards is an award winning criminal behavioral analyst in the UK.

She is an expert on coercive control.

You can find out more about Laura and her work here: http://www.thelaurarichards.com