I just read this and burst into tears; it was almost like this was written to me at a time when I so desperately need this comfort... I don't think I have ever read anything that has struck such a chord; something that I can 100% relate to. It's fully confirmed that what I am doing is the right path....

"You need help to better understand yourself and the way your past has affected you today, so you can be the person you were born to be, not the person you were forced to be. Many people feel like they are walking around with a mask on to protect themselves or others. They feel they need to be brave, show no emotions, keep it inside. They try to use coping mechanisms to deal with their pain…drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, sex, self-harm, whatever seems to work. But that doesn’t fix it. It just causes you more problems. Your trauma has caused you to turn to these coping mechanisms to help you survive the pain you are trying to hide from. But you don’t need to go on abusing yourself. You have been through enough! It is possible to heal. But the hard fact is that you have to work towards it.You can’t just try to push it away and forget. It doesn’t work like that. Until you face the past it will continue to control you."