Have you heard of “Love Bombing?” Well, you may have never heard the term, but you may have been the victim of love bombing in your life at some point, or seen it happen to someone else, and not known it at the time. Let’s just say that if you see a couple somewhere and one of the pair is being overly affectionate to the other – beware. Be especially concerned if this happens to you.
Love bombing is a form of emotional manipulation often used in toxic relationships. It involves overwhelming a person with excessive affection, compliments, and attention, often in a short period. While it may seem flattering initially, it is a red flag for potential abuse.
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It can be difficult to recognize initially, as it often feels like a whirlwind romance. However, love bombing is often a precursor to unhealthy, toxic, or abusive relationships. Knowing the signs can help identify if you or someone you care about is being manipulated into an unhealthy relationship.
Obviously, when you are the object of the love bombing it may be hard to tell because you feel it is genuine and ae overwhelmed by it. Just remember, when two high school kids or college kids, it can be chalked up to youth in Love. But it is not how an adult would behave in a new relationship.
“Initially, you might feel safe, secure and swept off your feet because grand gestures are a self-esteem boost and make you feel important and desired,” psychologist Alaina Tiani, PhD told the Cleveland Clinic. “But the love bomber’s ultimate goal is not just to seek love, but to gain control over someone else. Over time, those grand gestures are an effort to manipulate you and make you feel indebted to and dependent on them.”
“Manipulators use tactics by overly sharing their desire to be with you, showering you with affection and prioritizing you — all before they truly get to know you,” said Leanna Stockard, a licensed marriage and family therapist with LifeStance Health in Boston told Fox News.
“The tactic of love bombing makes the one being manipulated believe that they’ve done something wrong for that love and affection to be taken away, and to feel that they need to do anything to get it back,” she added.
So, what kind of person engages in love bombing?
Love bombers, some experts say, often exhibit narcissistic traits and have an anxious or insecure attachment style. Their difficulty in trusting others may drive their manipulative behavior. In some cases, love bombing can be learned behavior, perhaps from parental examples or childhood trauma.
So, while you should be on the lookout for this type of behavior, you should also be on the lookout for the kinds of people likely to use love bombing as a tactic.
