When Love Becomes Control (Part 3); How Strong Women Get Caught Up in Abuse

Why Strong Women Get Caught in AbuseWhen Love Becomes Control — Part 3In Part 3 of our When Love Becomes Control series, trauma therapist and coach Dawn Bouillon answers one of the most painful and confusing questions so many women ask themselves:“How did I end up here?”This episode gently dismantles the myth that abuse happens because a woman is weak, naïve, or unaware. Instead, Dawn explores the hard truth: abuse often targets strength—empathy, loyalty, endurance, emotional intelligence, and the ability to carry a lot without falling apart.You’ll learn how survival skills developed early in life can be weaponized in controlling relationships, how psychological layering quietly deepens over time, and why clarity alone doesn’t always create the capacity to leave. Through a trauma-informed lens, this conversation explains how the nervous system prioritizes survival and familiarity over freedom—until safety is present.If you’ve ever blamed yourself for staying, hoped someone would love you back into safety, or wondered why your strength didn’t protect you, this episode is for you.This is not about becoming stronger.It’s about becoming safer.