Trauma After Abuse

Codependency robs us of a self and self-love. We’ve learned to conceal who we really are because we grew up pleasing, rebelling against, or withdrawing from dysfunctional parents. That sets us up for trauma. As adults, even if we’re successful in some areas, our emotional life isn’t easy. Looking for security and love, most of us struggle to get into or out of relationships. We may remain in unhappy or abusive relationships or try to make painful ones work. Many of us would be content just to find a reprieve from ongoing anxiety or depression. After the Breakup However, ending a relationship isn’t the end of our problems. After initially rejoicing and reveling in newfound freedom, there’s often grief, regret, and sometimes guilt. We might still love the very person whom we’re grateful we left. We may no longer speak to estranged friends or relatives, even our children, who we still love or worry about. These are unexpected losses to be embraced. Going “no contact’ doesn’t necessarily end the pain either. The trauma of abuse isn’t over. Our self-esteem has surely suffered. We may lack confidence or feel unattractive. Abuse may continue in a new relationship or in family relations. You may suffer abuse from an ex with whom you co-parent or through children who have been damaged or weaponized.  As hard as it was to breakup an abusive relationship, it may still haunt us (sometimes even after the abuser is dead). One day, often decades later, we learn we have...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Abuse Codependence Domestic Violence PTSD Trauma Violence & Aggression Abusive Relationship Estrangement Guilt no contact Traumatic Experience Source Type: news