Behaviour / Pattern	What It Looks Like	Why It Happens (Psychology / Neuroscience)	Danger Level
Physical Abuse	Hitting, slapping, choking, pushing	Rage dysregulation, power/control, trauma history	🔴 Extreme
Mental / Emotional Abuse	Gaslighting, intimidation, verbal attacks, humiliation	Power/control, ego protection, emotional dysregulation	🔴 Severe psychological harm
Financial Abuse	Restricting money, controlling spending, blocking employment	Control, dependency creation	🔴 High
Repetitive Rituals	Tapping, fidgeting, arranging, repeated checking	Self-soothing, nervous system regulation, dopamine relief	⚠️ Low (self-focused), 🔴 High if imposed on others
Symbolic Actions	Drawing symbols, leaving objects to “ward off danger”	Magical thinking, attempt at environmental control, trauma coping	⚠️ Low alone, 🔴 High if controlling or intimidating others
Superstitious Behaviours	Knocking on wood, avoiding numbers, repeating sequences	Anxiety management, illusion of control	⚠️ Low if personal, 🔴 High if coerces others
Safety Rituals	Locking/unlocking doors repeatedly, checking windows	Hypervigilance, threat anticipation, trauma/PTSD response	⚠️ Low alone, 🔴 High if paired with coercion or aggression
Paranoid Ideation	Believing others plot against them, over-interpreting neutral cues	Amygdala hyperactivity, trauma-induced threat expectation	⚠️ Low if internal, 🔴 High if paired with aggression/control
Hypervigilance	Constant scanning for danger, startle responses, difficulty relaxing	Fight/flight/freeze stuck, chronic stress, PTSD	⚠️ Low if self-regulating, 🔴 High if combined with aggression

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🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Ritualistic, symbolic, or compulsive behaviours are often adaptive coping mechanisms.
2. Abuse (physical, mental, financial) combined with these behaviours creates high-risk environments.
3. Danger emerges when trauma-driven behaviours are paired with aggression, control, or coercion.
4. Awareness helps recognise risk early, protect yourself, and establish boundaries.

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