“There's a lot missing”: Treating survivors of sex trafficking with trauma bonds

Abstract

Summary

Survivors of sex trafficking often develop trauma bonds with their traffickers. A trauma bond refers to an intense emotional attachment that can develop between victims and their abusers. Research on trauma bonds is sparse and as such so are practice recommendations for service providers. This study seeks to answer the question: What recommendations do service providers make for working with survivors of sex trafficking suffering from trauma bonding? This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 10 participants who were licensed social workers or counselors working directly with survivors. Audio recordings were transcribed and coded utilizing aspects of a grounded theory approach.

Findings

Three themes emerged: (1) understanding client needs, (2) the relational approach, and (3) using existing modalities. Participants discussed clients’ needs for healthy relationships, education about trauma bonding, and improved material circumstances. The relational approach participants described involves meeting clients where they are at, validating survivors, and establishing facts over feelings. Existing modalities discussed by participants include eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and motivational interviewing (MI).

Applications

These findings can provide direction for service providers working with survivors of sex trafficking who have trauma bonds. Findings support the need for holistic interventions, and further intervention research is needed to empirically examine the efficacy of EMDR and MI with trauma bonds. Additionally, these findings can inform legislators and policy makers as they consider the needs of survivors.