Over time, her guilt begins to morph into shame. When shame takes hold, she doesn’t just feel bad about certain things she’s done – she starts to feel that she is bad. This cuts her off from her instinct – which she can no longer trust – and makes the perpetrator’s opinion even more important. From there, the shame becomes a spiral. Every time the perpetrator gets her to act against her instincts – by cutting off beloved family or friends, for example – the feelings of shame multiply. The more ashamed she feels, the more dependent she becomes on her perpetrator, and the less likely she is to
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