i only know what its like to be the one to cause hurt to my friends and my bf
the pain they have from knowing im messed up from abuse
the feelings they have of not knowing what to do
not understanding how i feel
its hard for them maybe more so than it is for me at times
all i can do is just keep trying to explain it to them
explain to them why i act and say the things i do
why one minute im ok and the next there are explosions

its a good thing he told u he trusts u in some way
maybe hes freakin out cos he thinks if he gets to close he mite get hurt
i do this all the time
i sabotage things in order to protect myself
funny thing thou is that i still get hurt
but at least i hurt me not the other person
reassure him and as mtd says tell him his past is still there for him and he needs to seek some help to work thru that
that he doesnt need to feel ashamed or embarressed about it
that he doesnt always have to act tuff

take care and i hope ur friend gets some help
its a hard long road
i hope he has the support to get him thru it