Psychoeducation · Trauma reactions
Do I really have a choice?
When you've had little say in what happened, it may be hard to see your choices later.
It makes sense if it's hard to believe your choices matter. You may also be facing real barriers right now.
What is it?
Losing control can change how you see your options. You may pull back or find decisions harder even when you have a choice about some things now.
How can it happen?
Repeated experiences of powerlessness may shape what you expect your actions can change. Threats, money, and housing can also put real limits on your choices.
Supportive words
It makes sense if it's hard to believe I might have a say in what happens to me after what I've been through.
Having no real choice didn't mean I was weak.
What it does not mean
Feeling powerless is not weakness. Sometimes there really is no safe way to leave or change a situation.
What it might feel like
“Nothing I do will make any difference anyway.”
Background and sources
The links between lack of control and learned helplessness have been studied. The theory alone doesn't explain why someone stays in an abusive situation.
These sources relate to the topic. The explanation is independently edited educational content, not a clinically tested intervention.