Shame is what makes child abuse so horrific. The parent or other supposed trusted adult caretaker predates upon the innocent child then has that child convinced that they're to blame for what's happened to them ... As the abuses continue to compound day after day, that misplaced blame becomes toxic shame that leaves the adult survivor wrestling with years of heartache & grief to unravel ... It often takes years, if ever, for that adult to get to the point that they can even begin to trust another human being enough to allow themselves the vulnerability necessary to start peeling back the layers of shame they're buried under.