Recovering from an abusive relationship may take both time and attention.
From my perspective, the old adage “time heals all wounds” needs to be altered. Time and attention heals wounds. An ignored wound may just get worse and grow larger if it isn’t taken care of.
The healing process often can’t really start until you are out of the relationship. When you are in it, it’s difficult to allow yourself to see how bad it really is. When it’s over, you may be overwhelmed with pent-up painful emotions.
Let the realizations and accompanying pain percolate. Acknowledge it. Processing it can help the pain flow through; trying to ignore it can result in it getting stuck inside or festering into something even bigger.
If your ex pours on the abuse through a divorce or behaves vengefully after a breakup, it will likely be very painful dealing with them and the havoc they create.
[For more of this story, written by Ann Silvers, go to http://psychcentral.com/blog/a...busive-relationship/]
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