I can't say what the solution is for everyone, but for me, it has been entirely due to the brutal work or weekly therapy. With my therapist's help I was able to make a narrative of my trauma, exposing myself to the story so often that I could talk about it without always being retraumatized. I have learned to manage post-traumatic reactions like flashbacks, dissociation, and freezing through techniques like relaxation training and safe place visualization. My abuser was a family member that I still see twice a year and I have learned to cope with these feelings at these times by writing or talking instead of self-harm. I have also seen a psychiatrist throughout this time to get medication management for sleep and reactivity.

This has taken me several years, and it has sucked beyond all telling of it for long stretches of time. But it was worth it, because now I have more good times than bad. People used to tell me the same thing and it seemed impossible. But it's not.