Intimate Coercion

Recognition and Recovery

This book explores the foundation and causes of intimate coercion, focusing specifically on the identification of the issue and subsequent healing process. Coerced by a relation, friend, or lover, the victim commits acts that are contrary to their normal behavior, and often, illegal in nature. Marti Loring and Melissa Scardaville reference an extensive list of case studies to examine the varying dynamics and experiences of intimate coercion among the wide subset of the population that is affected; this list includes immigrants, disabled individuals, children, and elders. To aid therapists working with coerced individuals, Intimate Coercion defines coercive mechanisms, identifies distinct elements in the coercion process, and provides transformative tools for use with coerced individuals. Based on Loring’s years of work in the courtroom and Scardaville’s work with battered women, Intimate Coercion unveils the driving force of coerced behavior and explains how therapists can help treat this trauma.