My best friend and I both married men who remind us too much of our violent fathers and we've been enabling each other's denial for years but last night she called me crying because her husband shoved her and I realized we've been protecting each other from the truth instead of helping each other face it.
More people experience this than they realize.
Two people bonded by similar trauma histories have created a mutual protection system that keeps them from acknowledging dangerous patterns in their current relationships, requiring them to break their own cycle of enabling to truly help each other.
“Where Are You with Violence in families — understanding and breaking cycles?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.