Member-only story
The Neverending Nightmare
I recently got out of an 11-year-long abusive relationship. The abuse was just about every form/type, minus sexual abuse. While I am safely a state away from my former abuser, my brain is struggling right now to pick up the pieces from the damage that relationship caused. Despite having gotten out of it about 3 weeks ago (as of publishing this in early February 2023), I am having daily nightmares. I am waking up anywhere from 1–4 times on average per night. I don’t think I have gotten one full night’s sleep since I got to my parent’s home.
I tried coming forward to my parents about these nightmares. My parents are in their late-60s and early-70s. I’m 29. My father rolled his eyes at me and said “Why don’t you just relax since you’re away from that guy? You have a new relationship now, just focus on that!”. My mother seemed to at least try to understand the damage that relationship caused me (mental health-wise).
My boyfriend is extremely supportive and loving toward me. We live a few states apart right now and he’s continuously reassured me that it’s completely okay to call him in the middle of the night if I’ve had a bad nightmare. I really do think I’d be really worse off if it wasn’t for him.
What I am going through right now is known as “Complex post-traumatic stress disorder” (CPTSD). It…
