Borderline “Splitting” And Traumatic Bonding
Does “splitting” override feeling a trauma bond?
Trauma bonds are based on emotional addiction, specifically love addiction. Emotional addiction is a controversial subject because there isn’t a lot of research to support its existence, although there is ample research supporting love addiction.
Existing research attributes a biochemical cocktail as its foundation which includes both feel-good neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, along with hormones such as the ‘love’ or ‘cuddle’ hormone, oxytocin (Earp et al., 2017). Other patterns that make love addiction ripe for the taking include both behavioral (positive and negative reinforcement) and cognitive (All or Nothing thinking, catastrophic thinking).
Both behavioral conditioning and cognitive distortions play key roles in the ups and downs experienced by those who ultimately become traumatically bonded. The push-pull that we see is the outcome of biochemical, behavioral conditioning, and cognitive distortions happening behind the scenes.
So, does a person with Borderline Personality Disorder feel they are traumatically bonded if/when the relationship ends? Or, are they aware of, and accountable for their part in a toxic pattern?
