ah, that life were that simple....

then we wouldn't even have this discussion board!

rome wasn't built it a day ;-)

That's called the social injury. I just read about it on a site for victims of crime. It occurs when on top of the original victimization people are not supported by those around them.

Victimization is really confusing to me, it almost seems as if people get angrier with the victim than they do with the perpetrator. I'm not exactly sure how that works out in your case but it is true being victimized changes you. But so does getting cancer, or breaking your leg. I think people are more intolerant of victims because they know on some subconscious level how vulnerable they are to being victimized themselves. Their whole world view could be shattered in a moment as well, their illusion of security wiped away.

But right now I fell like saying screw them, how do I deal with this shift in my reality? I definitely don't like the way I'm dealing with it right now. What happened to you has changed you, do we really heal from that? Or is everything changed by it? You are a veteran, you've had the experiences you've had, how do you come to terms with that?

Does it set you up for more negative experiences?