“Abuse manipulates and twists a child’s natural sense of trust and love.
Her innocent feelings are belittled or mocked and she learns to ignore her feelings.
She can’t afford to feel the full range of feelings in her body while she’s being abused—
pain, outrage, hate, vengeance, confusion. So she short-circuits them and goes numb.
For many children, expression of feelings, even a single tear, is cause for more abuse.
Again, the only recourse is to shut down. Feelings go underground.”
******
