Coercive control is a kind of abuse that doesn’t leave bruises but can break a person’s spirit and make them lose their sense of who they are. Helen Walmsley-Johnson, author of ‘Look What You Made Me Do: A Powerful Memoir of Coercive Control’ took a long time to realize that her boyfriend, who was controlling every part of her life, was actually abusing her emotionally.
In this video interview, Helen shares how, over time, her partner’s behavior, like telling her what to wear, where to go, and even what to eat, wasn’t about caring for her but controlling her. Her experience shows how coercive control slowly takes over someone’s life, making it hard for them to see the abuse for what it is.
At first, the signs of this control might look like someone being really attentive or concerned. For Helen, small comments and decisions by her boyfriend grew into him taking control over big and small parts of her life. “It’s small things that don’t amount to much on their own,” she says.
Getting out of a situation of coercive control takes a lot of strength and sometimes help from outside. For Helen, understanding what was happening to her started with hearing other people’s stories and seeing the pattern in her own life. Watch Helen share some of her story.
Featured image: Helen Walmsley-Johnson. Source: YouTube Screenshot / This Morning.
