Sarah Westbrook - Trauma Bonded:
A True Story of Navigating Attachments Forged in Complex PTSD
Break free from toxic trauma bonds and reclaim a happier, healed life with this self-help memoir.
You never forget your first kiss, your first love…or your first trauma bond.
Emotionally battered, neglected, and manipulated by Mormon beliefs, 16-year-old Sarah was convinced her boyfriend Michael would save her. When her parents discovered that they’d committed the sin of premarital sex, the aftermath left the teenagers irrevocably bonded.
Your trauma bond might feel like true love—or an obligation to repair or heal a relationship—but that toxic connection is a shackle, trapping you in the pain of your past. Break free and reclaim the happy, authentic life you deserve.
With humor, grace, and untamed honesty, therapist Sarah Westbrook shares a 25-year journey of navigating relationships impacted by abuse and trauma. Part confessional memoir, part self-help guide for survivors, Trauma Bonded pairs her extraordinary story of recovery with mental health insights for overcoming toxic relationships, healing from childhood trauma, and finding peace after complex post- traumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD).
Kindle Version
You’ll discover:
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A unique perspective of c-PTSD through adolescence, marriage, affairs, and motherhood.
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The role of chronic traumatic experiences in attachment styles and the neuroscience in the development of trauma bonds.
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Why trauma bonds drive self-destructive behavior—despite the cost to you and everyone else caught in the crossfire—and ways to break the cycle.
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How religious trauma from the Mormon church or other sects may skew your worldview and belief system.
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Tips for building healthy relationships based on respect, trust, and unconditional love (not shared trauma)!
It’s time to leave your pain in the past—where it belongs. Break the manacles of your trauma bonds and finally find freedom with Trauma Bonded.
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Sarah Westbrook
Sarah Westbrook, MS, LPC, NCC, is the founder of Westbrook Counseling Services and Daisy Girl Communications. As a trauma survivor herself, she understands the work that goes into healing. She helps her clients work through their pain to achieve lasting results, laughing along the way to becoming
their most authentic self.
A National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), Sarah entered clinical practice as a professional counselor in 2014. With a master of science in mental health counseling from Walden University and focused continued education in Trauma Informed Therapy, The Gottman Method, DBT, and CBT, she provides individual therapy, couples and family counseling, and weekend psychoeducational training courses.
After a dysfunctional and abusive Mormon upbringing, Sarah left the religion and began her journey to heal from c-PTSD and the religious trauma of her childhood. She shares her faith transition, along with advice for healing from toxic cult-like religious systems, on her podcast Unpacking Mormonism and Other Religious Trauma. She also hosts Raising Crazy: Growing Up to Show Up, where she offers psychoeducation for parents and caregivers, especially those with behaviorally challenging children.
After traveling the US as an Army wife and mother of seven, Sarah and her family put down roots in central Missouri. In her rare spare time, she loves to read, binge watch Friends, hike, and can occasionally be found hiding from her children and eating caramel popcorn in her closet. Learn more at www.daisygirlcommunications.com.