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Completely different experiences, but isn't that "Oh! I was reacting to trauma!" epiphany...enlightening? Emotional? Validating? Unnerving? I dunno...I had that realization for the first time earlier this year and it was all of those things to me.

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Sorry I didn't see this until today...yeah, Sept. 12. Whoops! The more it happens, the more I seem to welcome it because it makes me feel...not so crazy I guess. Something about trauma that still catches me off guard is how impossible it is to heal while trauma continues to happen or is otherwise reinforced. IE, my bio dad abandoned my mom and me, so secondary trauma happens when the "unwanted and unloved" idea is reinforced in real time. Does that make sense?

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Absolutely makes sense. I'm so sad to hear this about your bio dad. That's got to be so devastating.

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I was very young so I don't have many memories of him, but nonetheless, he left trauma in his wake. oof!

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It would be impossible for that event not to, I think.

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