GGB, the fact that my childhood has had a huge impact on my sexuality is a very new concept for me. I honestly couldn't see it before. I can't believe I couldn't see it before now. I think H has understood it for a long time.
It was a post by Corri some weeks ago about her connection between her sexual abuse and her LDness (I hope I'm remembering the facts correctly) that got me thinking about my childhood. I knew I wasn't molested, but I still felt that I had been violated. I started exploring my feelings again about what had happened with my father and just had an epiphany about my sexuality. I am afraid of my sexuality. I can't own it. I'm both intimidated and awed by women who can and do own it.
Also I learned from therapy that we tend to consider verbal abuse to be not as big a deal as physical abuse, especially because there are no physical after effects of verbal abuse (no bruises, etc). But it is just as damaging. Those of us on the receiving end tend to minimize its effects too. We might think we didn't have it as bad as someone who was beaten. What were're really saying is that our emotional selves don't get/deserve the same respect as our physical selves.
