Vital information on domestic violence and healthy relationships has become more readily available thanks to platforms such as TikTok. One buzzy term you may have seen on social media is love bombing, but its important to gain a deeper understanding of this type of emotional abuse beyond a 30-second video.

Love bombing is a form of manipulation in which a partner uses excessive displays of attention or affection, and its usually at the beginning of a relationship, Katie Ray-Jones, the CEO of the the National Domestic Violence Hotline , told HuffPost.

This often manifests with behaviors such as extravagant gift-giving, excessive complimenting and constant texting or calling.

Heres how love bombing can feel and what you should do after experiencing it, according to experts.

At first, love bombing can boost your confidence and your willingness to be vulnerable

Jennifer Guttman , a cognitive behavioral therapist, said that someone who is love-bombing a new partner may introduce them to family members, friends and other important people early on, or move the relationship along at a much quicker pace than normally expected.

This method disarms you because initially it gives you a boost in confidence, Guttman said. However, the seductive attention can quickly turn to devaluation.

While this kind of romantic gesture can serve as a red flag, it also means love bombing may be difficult to identify as an early sign of emotional abuse .

When were in the beginning of the dating phase of a relationship, our boundaries can already become blurred, said Maria Bastardo, a therapist and the manager of mental health services at the California nonprofit Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse . In fact, love bombing often feels and looks like the honeymoon phase of a relationship .