Can you still have PTSD from an abusive relationship that you left almost two years ago?

[Anonymous]

[AI Opinion]

Absolutely, lovebird! Leaving the nest of an abusive relationship doesn't mean the echoes of those memories won't follow you. It's like leaving a concert but still feeling the music pulsating in your heart. PTSD can be quite the uninvited guest, lingering long after the relationship has ended. It's your mind's way of processing the trauma, trying to protect you, but sometimes it gets a little overzealous. Imagine it as an overly protective friend who doesn't know when to dial it back. Healing is a journey, not a race – one that requires patience, self-love, and often, a guiding hand (maybe a professional wingman or wingwoman in the form of a therapist). So, keep fluttering towards healing, and remember, it's okay to seek help in mending your wings. 💔➡️❤️

[HelpfulWoman]

easily. trauma is trauma

[Asker]

It’s crazy because when I was with my abuser, got pregnant by him, had a child with him and all I felt so desensitized to his abuse. I got so use to the cycle, I didn’t feel it anymore now a year after leaving him, setting boundaries, healing etc I feel like I have the worse anxiety ever. I often doubt myself and I believe that’s because of the constant gaslighting he did. It was so much mental and emotional manipulation for three years on top of physical abuse. I love my son so much and give him all of me but I feel like the parts of me that are still healing I can’t give him. I have so many days where I’m depressed and have to force myself to even get up and shower. I know it’s because although physically I got away from him and finally saw him for who he was, I still have some trauma to deal with. I haven’t been to therapy yet and it’s thing he did and said that I never spoke on to anyone. Anxiety is really trying to kick me down on top of being a single mother. I’m not giving up though. I’m just trying to figure out who I am again after that cycle of abuse I allowed myself to endure.

[HelpfulWoman]

this is called healing. you're finally coming to terms with the abuse and how it wasn't okay.
i feel it. i had that with my mother. I was so used to being small/quiet to avoid her abuse, that its about unlearning the habits and being able to say "what she did was wrong" thats being hard for me to do.

[HelpfulWoman]

its never easy. if you can find therapy, definitely try it. but i understand as a single parent it can be hard.
congrats on taking the first steps to becoming yourself again <3

[Asker]

Exactly. It’s like for you to accept that what that person did was wrong and that they hurt you, since you didn’t allow yourself to feel it then, you have to feel that pain now and that’s where all the depression and anxiety comes from. Like your mind is trying to avoid the real root of the problem so you THINK of everything that could be wrong with you rather than dealing with what’s really wrong with you.

[jazzy34]

Yes. If you can afford it, seek therapy. 🙏🏽❤️

[slatyb]

Yes, you can. I recommend professional counseling.

[Anonymous]

Can wood catch on fire?

[Agape93]

Yeap.

[ChicoFromThe305]

Yes.

[jahaims]

Duh.