I cannot talk to anyone in my family. They do not acknowledge that I was abused, they do not acknowledge that my father was gay. They lie about how he died (he committed suicide, they say he had a stroke). They do not acknowledge that I am a lesbian, nor that I left the church of my childhood and changed paths. They do not acknowledge my loving life partner of 24 years.

There is no connection to any of my blood relatives at all. None.

My parents are deceased. There was so much alcoholism, abuse, neglect, and mental illness that there was no glue to hold the family together.

I'm fortunate to have a loving relationship, friends, a skilled trauma therapist and spiritual practice. My partners family is accepting of us, and we have frequent contact by phone and visits in person.

Even with all of that, recovery is not easy. It's a lonely task to face the truth of what happened and find a way to live with the scars without being engulfed by overwhelming fear, sadness, compulsive avoidance habits or depression.