Hi shakespeare, it sounds like some professionals probably made things worse for you rather than better, I'm sorry
People trying to "downplay" very real, vivid experiences/memories/feelings can not only come off as so patronising or devaluing and be so damaging, it can also make you lose hope/faith in the very places you should be able to at least find hope/feel understood.
And you're right, being able to acknowledge your experiences and feelings and having someone else acknowledge/understand them/be there for you in a non-judgemental way is so important.......I mean what are the alternatives.......denying them, pretending things didn't happen quite like the memories say they did, pretending they really shouldn't matter as much, trying to "cover them up" with........just doesn't work does it??!! Just makes it ultimately worse, right??!!

And for the first T to lead you into possibly starting to believe things that weren't true.......well that's abuse in itself!!! As if things weren't bad enough!!! I know it happened a lot then, and sadly/amazingly still happens now.......but whatever reasons they had/have still doesn't make it right

But hopefully you've found, or find, some professionals who are more "helpful", although hopefully at the very least you know there are people here who will listen, hear you, understand, right??!!



Alison