The Trauma Bond

This week on The Dating Detectives, Mackenzie and Hanna sit down with Lauren, whose relationship with a charming, attentive man slowly transformed into a terrifying cycle of manipulation, abuse, apologies, and increasingly desperate attempts to leave. Lauren opens up about the trauma bond that kept pulling her back, the shame and confusion that can make leaving feel impossible, and what happened when the situation escalated far beyond a toxic relationship—eventually drawing the attention of the FBI and leading to a federal witness tampering case.

Click here to join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you will get 2 extra episodes a month, monthly virtual live events, and access to our community page. And now for $9 a month you can get all of that, plus ad free episodes!

If you've been dogfished and want to share your story on the show, email [email protected] or contact us through our website using this link

This episode is sponsored by We-Vibe. Visit wevibe.com and use code DATINGDETECTIVES at checkout for 20% off your first order.

This episode of is sponsored by ZBiotics. Get 15% off at zbiotics.com/tdd with code TDD

This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your free trial period at shopify.com/datingdetectives.

This episode is sponsored by OSEA. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code DATINGDETECTIVES at oseamalibu.com.

***The following Program contains names, places and events that have been anonymized or fictionalized for the purposes of protection and safety. The following Program is provided for entertainment purposes only and any commentary from the hosts are strictly conjecture and should not be held as making any definitive statements about the truth or identity of any particular individuals or circumstances.

If you or a loved one are involved in an abusive relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for support.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.