Gelfing, my t says he will call the police if I am in danger and refuse to inform my husband about what it going on. It isn't a threat in my case; I know it is a promise. He has no choice if I am in danger. He can't sit back and just let me hurt myself. Fortunately, it has never come to that point. Just the thought has always been enough to bring me to my senses long enough to talk to my husband about my condition. I've learned to trust that he will carry through will intervention rather than taking it as a threat. There is a safety in that.

As far as opening up to a t goes, that comes slowly with time. It is hard to believe there are people in the world that won't run away in horror at our stories, but a little at a time, we learn that our t has compassion for us and wants to help us and we can finally learn to open up one little window at a time.

My husband's pdoc put it this way. Our memories and experiences are like a flock of birds that has come down the chimney and is flying frantically through the house. We can run around scared from them, bat at them, try to hide from them, but until we open up a window or a door, they can't get out. Once we open that window, the birds will find their way out and the havoc and chaos will lessen. Having the presence of mind to open that window takes courage and sometimes a helping hand.