Bound

Samantha Scaffidi

"Bound" is a very personal film that I wrote, directed, and self-financed to bring awareness to Domestic Abuse, a subject that is very close to my heart. I was able to enlist a number of talented filmmakers who gave their time and effort to bring this story to life. Healing TREE (Trauma Resources, Education & Empowerment) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming how society responds to abuse and interpersonal trauma. Healing TREE focuses on shifting our society from coping and “putting a band aid” on traumatic experiences to healing from them. Bound, a Public Service Announcement on Trauma Bonding raises awareness on this important topic, which is related to Domestic Violence and other forms of abuse. Trauma Bonding can occur in child abuse, cults, trafficking, bullying, etc. and from emotional, psychological, verbal, sexual and spiritual abuses as well as physical. Bound addresses the question of why people who are, or have been, victims of various forms of abuse often feel a powerful attachment to the people who have abused them. Furthermore, it offers hope by pointing to resources for healing. Too often, the dynamics of abuse and trauma’s impact on the brain are overlooked, leading to those who have been abused feeling shame. The general public, as well as helping professionals, often at best engage in a simply logical approach when confronting these issues and, at worst, engage in victim blaming. Being exposed to trauma focused resources on various forms of abuse as well as receiving trauma focused treatment modalities, which engage the survival part of the brain that is injured during trauma, are what is needed to break the cycle and move towards healing rather than coping. Bound tells an all too familiar story but leaves the audience with a new, trauma informed outlook.