I read avidly (obsessively?) about conditions. While I know I can go over the top, sometimes it really does help with self-compassion, understanding myself better.
Yes, healing takes time, and is, in my experience, a spiral experience. Now 50, I was first in therapy in my early 20s and have not been in therapy for about 18 years. Now just starting again, with someone who specialises in trauma, and will have my first emdr treatment this Thursday. While it can be depressing to realise how long healing takes, I can also look back at how much healing has taken place over the years, most of all in that I now and accept that there are people in my life who love and care about me.