• You feel confused, exhausted, and constantly anxious, but there are no bruises or hard proof to show why.

• You are told you are imagining things, misremembering, over-exaggerating, or that you’re the problem.

• You feel isolated from friends and family, or you’ve stopped sharing your life because it’s just easier to stay quiet.

Society tells us domestic violence looks like a physical fight. But the most dangerous prisons have no bars.

Coercive Control is a strategic pattern of behavior designed to strip away your independence and personhood. It is not about a “lost temper” or a “bad relationship” — it is a calculated system of domination.

In this crash course, Unmasking Invisible Abuse, Nurse Maven breaks down the science and strategy of what is happening to you, so you can stop doubting and blaming yourself and start protecting yourself.

1. The Reality Check: “Am I Imagining This?”

   We strip away the confusion using the Power and Control Wheel. You will learn to identify the invisible tactics used against you, including:

   • Isolation: Cutting you off from your support system.

   • Deprivation: Restricting your access to money, sleep, or medical care.

   • Gaslighting: The psychological manipulation used to make you question your own sanity.

   2. The Biology of “Why I Can’t Leave”

   It’s not weakness; it’s biology. We explore Trauma Bonding and how intermittent cycles of abuse and kindness create a chemical addiction (dopamine) in the brain, making it physically painful to detach. You will understand why your body is reacting this way and why “just leaving” feels impossible.

   3. The First Step of Defense: Documentation

   Abusers count on your silence and confusion. We flip the script. You will leave with a simple Pattern Tracker to start documenting the abuse safely and effectively, focusing on patterns of behavior rather than isolated incidents.