You can leave a person and still feel tied to them.
That difficult truth runs through Chains Being Broken, Dawnesha Coleman’s deeply personal journey through a harmful relationship, trauma bonding, repeated returns, and the complicated process of becoming free.
From the outside, leaving may appear simple. When something hurts, walk away. But Dawnesha reveals a reality that is far less straightforward. Emotional attachment, desire, hope, fear, shame, and the belief that things might finally change can keep someone connected long after they recognize the damage.
Even physical separation does not instantly remove the bond.
Dawnesha describes how memories, anger, longing, and the desire for one final conversation can continue after a relationship ends. Her healing therefore becomes about more than distance. It requires boundaries, patience, honesty, faith, and eventually surrendering to God the broken places she could not repair alone.
One of the book’s strongest messages is that healing does not always move in a straight line. A difficult day does not erase previous progress. Missing someone does not mean returning is the right answer.
Chains Being Broken speaks to anyone who has struggled to understand why letting go can hurt so much.
Sometimes freedom begins quietly—with one boundary, one truth, one prayer, and one decision not to reopen the door.