{"podcast":{"title":"Perfect Prey: A Coercive Control Podcast","slug":"perfect-prey-a-coercive-control-podcast-6610448","podcast_index_feed_id":6610448,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/e5f69b64/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://coercivecontrolconsulting.com/","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/38481441/38481441-1776984962087-b4efb9016d5b5.jpg","author":"Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola","episode_count":58,"summary":"Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola, DSW, LCSW is a Coercive Control Educator, Researcher, & Survivor. She has been an advocate since the age of 19, passionate about protecting children from abuse. Yet, even as a therapist, she didn't see the signs in her own relationship. How do we, as protective parents, support our children harmed by the coercive controller (aka Narcissistic Abuser)? Dr. Cocchiola's expertise provides the framework for supporting protective parents as they navigate parenting children harmed by the coercive controller. Protective parents can show their children a path to freedom.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-04T04:20:44.407146+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perfect-prey-a-coercive-control-podcast-6610448"},"episode":{"title":"The Unthinkable: A Child’s View of Coercive Control with David Challen","slug":"the-unthinkable-a-child-s-view-of-coercive-control-with-david-challen","published_at":"2026-01-02T18:28:24+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perfect-prey-a-coercive-control-podcast-6610448/the-unthinkable-a-child-s-view-of-coercive-control-with-david-challen","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perfect-prey-a-coercive-control-podcast-6610448","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/perfectpreypodcast/episodes/The-Unthinkable-A-Childs-View-of-Coercive-Control-with-David-Challen-e3d3e1r","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/e5f69b64/podcast/play/113407483/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-0-2%2Fe00a2af7-d5a5-53f7-2dbc-fd63386f8ee0.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by David Challen , author of The Unthinkable , who shares his experience growing up as a child inside a coercively controlling family system. David offers a rare and powerful perspective on coercive control through the eyes of a child—long before there was language to describe abuse, and long before systems were willing to see it. This conversation explores how coercive control creates an atmosphere of fear, vigilance, humiliation, and emotional captivity within families, even when there is no visible violence. David reflects on the early intuition that something was wrong, the “rot in the house” that others could not see, and how children normalize danger in order to survive. Together, we examine the intergenerational harm caused by coercive control and why children are not passive witnesses, but co-victims. What we cover What coercive control looks and feels like through the eyes of a child How children sense danger, imbalance, and domination long before abuse is named The normalization of mockery, humiliation, fear, and emotional subservience within families Why coercive control is not “hidden abuse,” but a trajectory of escalating harm How long-term psychological domination strips autonomy, identity, and safety over time The concept of “systemic degradation” and how victims are worn down across years or decades Why victim retaliation is often misunderstood, mislabeled, and criminalized The long-term impact on adult child survivors and protective parents Why listen If you are a survivor, protective parent, adult child survivor, clinician, or legal professional, this episode offers critical insight into how coercive control operates inside families and why children are deeply affected—even when abuse is not outwardly visib…","meta_description":"In this episode of Perfect Prey , I’m joined by David Challen , author of The Unthinkable , who shares his experience growing up as a child inside a coerc…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2360,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/perfect-prey-a-coercive-control-podcast-6610448/episodes/the-unthinkable-a-child-s-view-of-coercive-control-with-david-challen/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/perfect-prey-a-coercive-control-podcast-6610448/the-unthinkable-a-child-s-view-of-coercive-control-with-david-challen.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}