The story behind the Global Coercive Control Legislation Index, why I built it, and how you can help me continue this work.
Manya Wakefield
Manya Wakefield is a narcissistic abuse recovery coach, coercive trauma specialist, and the developer of the Coercive Trauma Recovery Method™ and TENEL™ (Traumatic Exposure to Narcissism in Early Life) — proprietary recovery frameworks built from seven years of direct professional work with survivors of coercive control, narcissistic abuse, and Adult Children of Narcissists. Both frameworks have been reviewed by Dr. Michael Kinsey, PhD, clinical psychologist, New School for Social Research. She is the founder of Narcissistic Abuse Rehab, a global social impact platform launched in 2019 to support survivors through evidence-based recovery frameworks. Manya is the author of Are You In An Emotionally Abusive Relationship (2019), a resource used in domestic violence recovery groups worldwide. Her original research contributions include the Global Coercive Control Legislation Index (2020) — the first systematic index of its kind on the web — and the Global Femicide Legislation Index (2026), comprehensive legal references used by advocates, legal professionals, and policymakers internationally, cited in peer-reviewed publications including the Southern Illinois University Law Journal, Palgrave Macmillan, and the University of Agder. Her expertise has been featured in Newsweek, Elle, Cosmopolitan, HuffPost, Parade, and YourTango. She hosts the Narcissistic Abuse Rehab Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. All content on this site reflects Manya's direct professional experience working with survivors of narcissistic abuse and coercive control, her published research, and her ongoing advocacy work.
Evidence-grounded self-care practices for narcissistic abuse survivors. Includes a free 30-day challenge and checklist.
EMDR, TF-CBT, Somatic Experiencing, IFS — which therapy works best for narcissistic abuse? An evidence-graded comparison.
Evidence-based strategies for healing from narcissistic abuse — what works, why it works, and in what sequence.
Setbacks in narcissistic abuse recovery are normal. Learn the clinical reasons why they happen, what triggers them, and how to overcome them.
5 clinical recovery stages from narcissistic abuse — what happens neurologically at each stage, timeline, and how specialist support helps.
Trauma bonding is a neurological phenomenon. Why survivors stay or return after narcissistic abuse — and what breaking the bond requires.
Recovery from narcissistic abuse takes longer than most people expect — and is shaped by specific factors. A research-grounded timeline.
No contact is a neurological necessity, not a power move. Why it works, how to implement it, what to do when it’s not possible.
Grey rock and no contact explained practically — scripts, co-parenting, legal contexts, the nervous system challenge, and more.