[Hillary502]

Hi, everyone - My name is Hillary and I'm new to the forums here. Just looking for some support during a difficult season of my life...

I've been in therapy for about a year to deal with some things from my past. I am estranged from virtually all of my family now, but memories and thoughts and feelings still linger. Recently, I've been talking in therapy about how I have a lot of confusion about the things that happened in my family. They felt really bad at the time, but over the years I've come to believe I really overreacted and that things really weren't as severe as they felt at the time. That feeling is endorsed by virtue of the fact that my first therapist (who I was seeing in the midst of some of the worst times) never made a report of abuse, the police didn't help when I called them for help on one or two occasions, and of course my parents would laugh in my face if I ever claimed they "abused" me.

Has anyone else experienced this bind of not knowing how to think about your life experiences? Wondering if you were too sensitive or pathetically childish or somehow deluding yourself into believing abuse happened when it really didn't? How did you come to terms with your conflicting feelings? Or did you ever find any resolution?

Thanks for the support, everyone.

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by Hillary502

Hi, everyone - My name is Hillary and I'm new to the forums here. Just looking for some support during a difficult season of my life...

I've been in therapy for about a year to deal with some things from my past. I am estranged from virtually all of my family now, but memories and thoughts and feelings still linger. Recently, I've been talking in therapy about how I have a lot of confusion about the things that happened in my family. They felt really bad at the time, but over the years I've come to believe I really overreacted and that things really weren't as severe as they felt at the time. That feeling is endorsed by virtue of the fact that my first therapist (who I was seeing in the midst of some of the worst times) never made a report of abuse, the police didn't help when I called them for help on one or two occasions, and of course my parents would laugh in my face if I ever claimed they "abused" me.

Has anyone else experienced this bind of not knowing how to think about your life experiences? Wondering if you were too sensitive or pathetically childish or somehow deluding yourself into believing abuse happened when it really didn't? How did you come to terms with your conflicting feelings? Or did you ever find any resolution?

Thanks for the support, everyone.

I think most have wondered about this. Have second guessed themselves and wonder if it's really worth talking about. I would ask my T about it and be ready for whatever they say with more questions. You really need to know some answers in order to move forward. So write down questions between sessions and take them to therapy with you, mark them off as they are answered to your satisfaction.

[Trace14]

Originally Posted by Hillary502

Hi, everyone - My name is Hillary and I'm new to the forums here. Just looking for some support during a difficult season of my life...

I've been in therapy for about a year to deal with some things from my past. I am estranged from virtually all of my family now, but memories and thoughts and feelings still linger. Recently, I've been talking in therapy about how I have a lot of confusion about the things that happened in my family. They felt really bad at the time, but over the years I've come to believe I really overreacted and that things really weren't as severe as they felt at the time. That feeling is endorsed by virtue of the fact that my first therapist (who I was seeing in the midst of some of the worst times) never made a report of abuse, the police didn't help when I called them for help on one or two occasions, and of course my parents would laugh in my face if I ever claimed they "abused" me.

Has anyone else experienced this bind of not knowing how to think about your life experiences? Wondering if you were too sensitive or pathetically childish or somehow deluding yourself into believing abuse happened when it really didn't? How did you come to terms with your conflicting feelings? Or did you ever find any resolution?

Thanks for the support, everyone.

How rude of me, I apologize for not welcoming you to PC. So WELCOME

[OliverB]

I wondered... Many times... Because even the judge didn't believe me. I could finally understand it after reading a lot about trauma.

Books like toxic parents from Susan forward, Complex PTSD from Pete walker, ...

[reb569]

They felt really bad at the time, but over the years I've come to believe I really overreacted and that things really weren't as severe as they felt at the time.

It is common to minimize your abuse as you become an adult. I've been doing it my whole life. I really think it's human nature to do this. A survival instinct. I would continue exploring this with your therapist and work through it.