Introduction
Money is more than currency—it represents freedom, choice, and security. When someone controls another’s access to money, they are not just managing finances; they are managing the person’s very ability to live independently. Financial abuse is one of the most common yet least recognized forms of coercive control. Survivors often describe feeling trapped, unable to leave, or ashamed of their dependence. By naming financial abuse for what it is—an intentional tactic of domination—we can better support survivors in breaking free and reclaiming autonomy.
Defining Financial Abuse
Financial abuse occurs when an abuser restricts, manipulates, or sabotages a person’s financial resources to maintain control (Adams et al., 2008). It may occur alongside emotional, psychological, or physical abuse, but it can also stand alone as a primary form of coercive control.
Examples include:
- Withholding money or providing an “allowance.”
- Monitoring or demanding receipts for all purchases.
- Sabotaging employment by refusing childcare, transportation, or interfering with work.
- Forcing debt in the survivor’s name.
- Seizing bank accounts, paychecks, or benefits.
- Threatening financial ruin if the survivor leaves.
These tactics create financial dependence, making it harder for survivors to escape—even when they recognize the abuse.
The Hidden Nature of Financial Abuse
One reason financial abuse is overlooked is that it often looks like “normal” money management. Families commonly share finances, but in coercive control, financial decisions are not mutual—they are unilateral, enforced by fear or manipulation. Survivors may not even realize they are experiencing abuse if they have been taught to see financial control as a sign of love, protection, or responsibility (Postmus et al., 2012).
Economic Entrapment and Its Consequences
Economic entrapment describes how financial abuse restricts survivors’ options. Without money, survivors may be unable to afford rent, food, childcare, or legal services if they try to leave. Research has shown that financial abuse is a leading reason survivors stay in or return to abusive relationships (Sanders, 2015).
The long-term effects can include:
- Damaged credit scores.
- Loss of career opportunities.
- Chronic poverty or debt.
- Intergenerational economic instability.
For many survivors, the fear of homelessness or poverty feels more dangerous than staying with the abuser.
The Psychological Toll of Financial Control
Beyond material deprivation, financial abuse corrodes self-worth. Survivors may internalize beliefs such as:
- “I’m incapable of managing money.”
- “I don’t deserve financial independence.”
- “I can’t survive on my own.”
These beliefs are not true—they are the product of systematic undermining. Over time, financial control and psychological manipulation reinforce each other, deepening the survivor’s dependence.
Somatic and Embodied Impacts
Financial insecurity activates survival responses in the body. Survivors may experience chronic stress, sleep disturbances, and heightened cortisol levels due to ongoing economic threat (Shonkoff et al., 2012). The body carries this sense of scarcity, making survivors hypervigilant about spending or fearful of financial decision-making even after leaving the relationship. Healing requires not only rebuilding material resources but also re-learning safety in the body around money.
Pathways to Reclaiming Financial Freedom
Breaking free from financial abuse involves both practical and emotional recovery. Survivors benefit from:
- Financial literacy support: safe, shame-free spaces to learn budgeting, banking, and credit repair.
- Trauma-informed coaching or therapy: addressing the shame and fear connected to money.
- Legal advocacy: support in accessing benefits, child support, or reparations.
- Somatic practices: grounding techniques to reduce stress when making financial decisions.
- Gradual independence: setting up small personal savings, when safe, to begin rebuilding autonomy.
Importantly, financial recovery is not just about money—it’s about restoring agency and dignity.
Conclusion & Invitation
Financial abuse is coercive control in one of its most damaging forms. It steals not just money but freedom itself. Survivors deserve to know that they are not incapable or broken—they have been systematically disempowered. With support, it is possible to heal both the practical and embodied impacts of financial abuse.
If you are ready to begin rebuilding safety, trust, and financial independence, we are here to help. At diversepathswellness.com, we provide trauma-informed and somatic recovery coaching designed to support survivors in reclaiming their lives—body, mind, and finances.
References
- Adams, A. E., Sullivan, C. M., Bybee, D., & Greeson, M. R. (2008). Development of the scale of economic abuse. Violence Against Women, 14(5), 563–588.
- Postmus, J. L., Plummer, S. B., McMahon, S., Murshid, N. S., & Kim, M. S. (2012). Understanding economic abuse in the lives of survivors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(3), 411–430.
- Sanders, C. K. (2015). Economic abuse in the lives of women abused by an intimate partner: A qualitative study. Violence Against Women, 21(1), 3–29.
- Shonkoff, J. P., Garner, A. S., & Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. (2012). The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics, 129(1), e232–e246.