However, I had a mental picture that, "protect yourself. . . most effective way is with a therapist" of a therapist being held in front of one like a living shield :-)

Therapists can be good for helping figure out the "adult" shenanigans that happened when one was a child, as well as the parallel ones happening now. I know I had a heck of a time in therapy because a lot of my "memories" and position points were when I was 5 years old or a young teen or something! Of course I didn't understand what was happening and felt some things were "bad". Looking at one's childhood from an adult perspective with another adult who isn't tangled in it is a lot of help, especially where it concerns parents.