Taylor Frankie Paul, 32, shared a bruise photo and wrote that “psychological torture” has left her feeling like “a shell of a human.” She also said she started EMDR therapy as her legal and custody battles with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen continue.
Taylor Frankie Paul didn’t frame her latest update as a comeback story. She framed it as damage—especially the kind that doesn’t show up on camera.
On Wednesday. May 27. the 32-year-old shared an Instagram Story captioned: “The psychological torture damaged me way more than the physical.” In the same post. she added. “You eventually become a shell of a human. This is hard to share because it’s hard to come to terms with.” The caption sat over a photo that appeared to show her bare arm with a large bruise. Paul looked like she had just gotten out of the shower when she snapped the image. though it wasn’t clear when the photo was taken.
In a separate social media post also dated Wednesday, May 27, Paul wrote that she was starting to address trauma directly. “Started EMDR therapy today. I’ve done a bit. Full dive this time,” she said. “It’s intense and extremely effective for PTSD/Trauma.”
Paul’s comments come as she’s remained in the public eye after “The Bachelorette” scandal earlier this year. In March. ABC announced that it decided to pull Paul’s Bachelorette season off the air after footage of a 2023 domestic violence incident between Paul and her ex-boyfriend. Dakota Mortensen. resurfaced. Paul pleaded guilty to third-degree felony aggravated assault after the incident as part of a plea deal.
Earlier this month, Paul described what she said she has been living with for years. She claimed she has been in “survival mode for years” when reflecting on trauma she’s experienced “physically, hormonally, mentally, and emotionally.”
On May 14. Paul posted a longer message that again focused on the emotional weight of her situation and the difficulty of leaving. “It’s so sad because nobody wants to be like this. I hate that I am no longer myself. I hate that I stayed for so long,” she wrote. She said she blamed “nobody more than my own damn self. ” and questioned how she “allow[ed] this for my kids and myself for so long. ” adding. “I’m sorry to THEM.”.
She also pointed to the legal proceedings, writing, “I don’t need to log off and remain silent. I’ve already admitted in court I’m fully NOT INNOCENT, I know that. None of it is OK, period.”
In the same caption, Paul addressed public questions about why she didn’t leave sooner. She wrote about how she says the relationship ended for her—claiming that she was “love bombed. then manipulated. threatened [and] physically hurt.” She said the “cops called on me” and that she was “publicly humiliated. ” because “no more.” She did not refer to Mortensen by name in that post.
There have also been additional legal complications outside the March “Bachelorette” decision. Paul and Mortensen were investigated by Utah police for a separate domestic violence incident earlier this year. Utah police declined to file charges.
Last month, Paul and Mortensen were granted protective orders against each other. They remain in the middle of a custody battle over their 2-year-old son, Ever. Paul is also the mother to daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul. Mortensen currently has temporary custody, and the two are set to appear in court for another hearing on June 1.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
Taylor Frankie Paul EMDR therapy psychological torture bruise PTSD trauma Dakota Mortensen The Bachelorette protective orders custody battle Ever domestic violence