Why She Didn't Leave: The Psychology of Love Bombing, Control, and Manipulation | Diddy Trial Ep 5

Women of Impact

Impact Theory

Education, Society & Culture, Mental Health, Relationships, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 657 Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this powerful two-part episode of Women of Impact, host Dr. Ann Burgess is joined by renowned criminal profiler Dr. Ann Burgess (yes, both as host and guest!) to break down the harrowing testimonies emerging from the Diddy trial. Focusing on the voices of women who have faced extreme danger and abuse, the episode exposes not just the acts themselves, but also the social and psychological mechanisms that keep survivors silent and trapped. Together, Dr. Burgess and Dr. Burgess delve into the chilling details of Brianna Bongoulan’s and Cassie’s experiences, emphasizing the importance of understanding trauma responses and the realities of coercive control. Listeners are taken step by step through the dynamics of abusive relationships, the difficulties women face in coming forward, and the bystander dilemmas that keep entire communities quiet. Dr. Burgess shares expert insights into the physiology of trauma, societal victim-blaming, and the layered complications for friends and witnesses. If you’re looking for clarity on why women don’t or can’t “just leave,” and want to empower yourself or others with real-life strategies, don’t skip part one of this episode. SHOWNOTES 00:00 - Chilling overview: Diddy’s alleged actions and why breaking silence matters00:26 - Introducing Dr. Ann Burgess: expertise in criminal profiling00:42 - The week's testimonies and the critical need to understand trauma00:57 - Beginning with Brianna Bongoulan’s harrowing account01:35 - Analyzing the extreme danger and survival tactics in abusive situations03:37 - Physical and psychological aftershocks: photos, night terrors, and manipulation04:33 - Why women freeze: terror, trauma physiology, and the impossibility of escape06:06 - Addressing the question “Why go back?”—the reality of control07:20 - What if it happens to your friend? Bystander fear and the limits of intervention08:39 - Friends, fear, and the complexities of staying silent10:26 - How abusers choose and control: tactics, patterns, and courtroom manipulation11:02 - Real-time: Diddy’s behavior with the judge and jury—more manipulation revealed12:55 - Moving to “Jane’s” testimony and the anatomy of long-term abuse13:36 - The psychology of love bombing and being drawn in14:37 - The progressive trap: from excitement to entrapment CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS Vital Proteins: Get 20% off by going to ⁠https://www.vitalproteins.com⁠ and entering promo code WOI at check out. BIOptimizers: Head to⁠ https://bioptimizers.com/impact ⁠and use code IMPACT for 10% off. OneSkin: Get 15% off with code LISA at ⁠https://oneskin.co ⁠ Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠https://shopify.com/lisa⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:51.3	Tells us a lot about him. Tells us that he must have been very angry at something that he had to take such extreme control of her.
1:03.4	We also have, and I think the jury has seen, the elevator scene where he showed the amount of anger and rage that he lost such control with Cassie at
1:16.1	that elevator. Now he has a second victim where he has threatened her even more, if you will,
1:23.7	that he could actually throw her to her death. So as I said, what can women do in a case like this?
1:31.1	She couldn't do anything except absolutely comply to save herself.
1:36.5	When you talk of women that have had such extreme dangerousness,
1:41.3	they have done what they could to calm the man down, to say whatever they had to
1:47.3	save their life. And I always recommend that. That's for, say examples like when a gun is being
1:53.0	held at you, you know, this is not the time to challenge him. Even if you have to say things that
1:59.1	you normally wouldn't say, like, I love you, let's just be together and get that, whatever the danger is.
2:06.0	Now, in this case, she had to get herself back off of the balcony to be safe.
2:12.0	And that was a terribly, this aggressive situation and dangerous.
	...

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