abuse...

The last two presentations in one of my classes have been on relationship abuse. I was kind of floored because not only have I experienced forms of abuse, but have been an abuser in the past. Cruddy realization to come to. Just another tid bit of information to put in my back pocket.

The presentations came at a good time for me because a friend of mine that I had not been in contact with for awhile is back in my life and shared the relationship that they are getting out of with me. I looked at that person and said "um... I think you were in an abusive realtionship". She looked at me and said, "ya."

I always thought of abuse as beeting the crap out of the other person, but these presentations talked about totally different kinds of abuse... Like being told your fat for a long time will damage you self-esteem huge. Or just intimacy / trust things that if not treated with care will scar you forever. Sucks. Needless to say I told my frined that they should probly go to get councelling. She might. Then again, she might go back to him...