Dear Kelly,
I think we 'literally" get frozen, emotionally. I really do. I think that we cannot help it b/c it is like the "shock" I suffered when the police told me about Scott. I ,literally, went in to a state of shock, involuntarily, and am still in it,to some degree.
When we had parents who violated us so terribly, we went in to shock(IMO)
I can SEE how it happened, based on my recent interactions, here.
The N has a knife and they cut your gut, they eviscerate you. They leave you bloody, gutless, coreless, and then you are supposed to go on, as a regular kid, with a regular life WHEN you are eviscerated daily, many times a day.
Something dies inside. You are growing outwardly,but not inwardly. You are stunted b/c there is only SO much pain the human can take before they go on "tilt"
I can see more now of how and why we got frozen. Love Ami