Being “special” is an act of manipulation that abusers use all the time. The special time together, the special bond you share, the special time you get — we can walk on in life and hold onto these special times. Or we can begin to decipher the hidden message of abuse. My father treated meContinue reading “Spoiled or Neglected”
Tag Archives: denial
Controlled Anger
Tears have streamed down my face as I’ve been offered let down after let down in life. Example: My oldest daughter is hit in the face by her father. The police come and arrest him. During the interview, she tells the police officer and later child protective services that her father sexually abused her. Outcome:Continue reading “Controlled Anger”
~ Love or Shame ~
Bring one of your abusers to mind. What do you think of when you think of them? Do you write love into your story with them? Why are the abused so conformed to the notion that love exists somewhere in the abuse?
Excuse Me?
Did you call me a liar? Let me ask you this, “Have you lived through my experience?” “Were you next to me when my memory returned?” The night hour sweats as another scene gorged its way through my denial. The terror of going to sleep. The body aches that returned as I walked through theContinue reading “Excuse Me?”
What Are Cherished Childhood Memories?
All the years I’ve spent in a counselor’s office trying to sift through the rubble of my childhood and heal, I never encountered the priceless, cherished moments that populate the early years of most. They just weren’t a commodity I was raised with. I’m not being a victim by sharing this, it’s just factual. AsContinue reading “What Are Cherished Childhood Memories?”
Dissociated, Disjointed & Denial
The three D’s of survival. When I watched my father kill tiny kittens on a rough block of wood, I reached into my tool bag and sorted through my survival skills. Which of the three D’s would I use? Any of them could work. When I watched the blood seeping out of one of theContinue reading “Dissociated, Disjointed & Denial”
Mighty Foes
We leave our abusers kicking and screaming. Why is that? Shouldn’t we want to run away as fast as we can? We glorify them in our minds and say the sexual abuse was sustainable – it really wasn’t that bad. If it was family, we take it a step further and go underground so weContinue reading “Mighty Foes”
Lame, But Not Disabled
I entered adult life lame. I was weak and fell behind the others around me. I married my first husband at 18 to get away from my parents. He, of course, was a classic abuser and royal asshole. My attempts to keep myself and my children safe around him, never seemed to work. I wasContinue reading “Lame, But Not Disabled”
Dad, You Should’ve Just Told the Truth
My story could have played out differently. It could have been immediately filled with grace for him. At once, forgiveness could have sat with us at a holiday table. Instead, he lied. I became despised and abhorred by his family. They are no longer my family. As a survivor of his crimes, I struggled toContinue reading “Dad, You Should’ve Just Told the Truth”
Alligators in the Mississippi
Living through all the evil in my childhood should have set me up with a clear vision to see evil as an adult, spot the deceiving way of an abuser and recognize their lies. Right? Wrong! My mind had been poisoned so severely that my vision was skewed and I could not predict a trueContinue reading “Alligators in the Mississippi”