Your post touched a note with me. From the time I was very small, I was often warned specifically not to tell 'strangers' (that is, anyone not in the immediate family) anything about 'what we're like.' Sometimes the purpose was, I think, to shield them from something truly hair-raising that I might reveal; but often it was about any small detail of home life. Guess they figured, if I didn't dare talk about my home at all, I wouldn't blow their cover. It reminded me of the no-talk rules mentioned in dysfunctional families analysis. . . . It doesn't do much for your ability to know your own feelings--and often you don't tend to trust others easily, do you?
Thanks for sharing your experience.