Episode
Coercive Control, Gaslighting and the Long Road Back to Yourself - with Christine Dillard
- Podcast
- Unspoken Emotions
- Published
- May 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4941
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://traffic.megaphone.fm/USVL7042156580.mp3
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Summary
In this deeply moving episode, Rachel sits down with Christine a Fortune 500 director, single mother, and author of the memoir The Truth She Showed Me. Christine bravely unpacks her 17-year marriage, a relationship defined not by physical violence, but by the insidious, invisible wounds of coercive control. KEY TAKEAWAYS Abuse Isn't Always Physical: Coercive control operates through the slow, subtle erosion of a person's identity and autonomy. It is often maintained through micro-moments and subtle manipulations rather than explosive, visible events. The Body Keeps the Score: Psychological and emotional abuse can manifest in severe physical symptoms. Christine experienced autoimmune issues, high blood pressure, racing heart rates, sweating, and chronic insomnia as a direct result of her environment. The Power of a "Tone": For victims of coercive control, a simple shift in their abuser's tone of voice can trigger a full-body trauma response. The body shuts down into a state of "fight, flight, or freeze," even if outsiders cannot perceive the threat. Strategic Exits are Crucial: Leaving a controlling relationship safely often requires careful, covert planning. Christine executed a three-year exit strategy to secure her finances, arrange housing, and ensure her children reached an age where custody dynamics would be safer. Trust Your Body's Signals: When your mind tries to gaslight you into believing "it's not that bad," your body will tell you the truth. Healing begins the moment you stop ignoring your own physical and emotional distress signals and seek confidential support. BEST MOMENTS "I didn't realize how much I had not even changed, I just was a shell of the person that I was 17 years, 18 years prior." "My brain was protecting me by not allowing me to remember all…