Betrayal Trauma – Dimple Bindra

Understanding betrayal trauma, and where can a person seek help?

Does this sound familiar?

You feel stuck, frustrated, and confused, unable to move on from the hurt.
You’ve been numbing the pain with food, alcohol, work, and more to cope with the betrayal.
You’re exhausted and can barely scrape yourself off the floor.
It takes everything you’ve got to just make it through another day.
You’re overwhelmed & not sure what to do next. You don’t know who to trust.

Betrayal trauma happens when someone is hurt by a person or group they trusted and depended on.

This kind of trauma comes not just from the hurtful actions, but also from the broken trust.

Introduced by psychologist Jennifer Freyd in 1991, betrayal trauma theory looks at how people handle and remember being betrayed by someone they really trust and need.

A study from 2016 suggests that the effects of betrayal can vary based on the relationship between the person who was betrayed and the one who did the betraying.

For example, the emotional impact of being mistreated by a caregiver or facing widespread discrimination is different from the trauma caused by natural disasters or car accidents.

When people depend on or trust someone or some institution that ends up hurting them, they can feel a deep sense of betrayal along with their trauma.

Research has shown that people are more likely to forget events where the betrayal was really intense.

This forgetting, known as “betrayal blindness,” helps them keep their relationship with the betrayer.

Usually, it’s better for someone to distance themselves from the cause of their trauma.

But if they depend on that person or group, like a child depends on a parent or someone who doesn’t have many job options, betrayal blindness can make it easier to stay connected.

There are many situations where people might stay connected to someone they depend on, despite being hurt by them.

Stages of betrayal trauma

Denial: This stage helps lessen the trauma’s impact.
Anger: This helps people deal with overwhelming feelings like sadness and pain.
Bargaining: Here, people try to find ways to control the situation by thinking over what could have been done differently.
Depression: This is a direct reaction to the trauma and can also come from turning anger inward.
Acceptance: This is when someone comes to terms with what happened and how it has affected their life.

So many people feel like they can’t move on from their betrayal because they don’t have the right tools and support to do so.

Dimple Bindra, are proud to announce our partnership with The PBT® Institute, a leader in addressing and healing betrayal trauma.

Together, we are committed to providing support and resources for those affected by the deep emotional scars of betrayal.

Our collaboration aims to offer effective strategies and therapeutic approaches designed to help individuals rebuild trust and find healing.

For more detailed information about our programs and how we can assist you on your journey to recovery, please visit the PBT Institute website.

HI, I’M DR. DEBI!
I’m the Founder of the PBT® (Post Betrayal Transformation®) Institute. Over the last 30+ years, I’ve supported thousands of people to heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

In everything I’ve seen and in all the people I’ve worked with, I’ve come to believe that betrayal is one of the most painful experiences we can ever have. How do I know? I’ve been there.

It was my own betrayals, first from my family and then from my husband, that shattered my heart, trust, and life as I’d known it.

My desperation to understand betrayal led me to get a PhD where I did a groundbreaking study that led to the creation of a research-based, proven, and predictable way to fully heal. The PBT® (Post Betrayal Transformation®) Institute was born.