Hello All:
I haven't posted in a while. Thought I would just drop a quick update as to what is going on in my life.
Things have turned around in a drastic way. I am currently involved with two start-ups and have moved to a different city. I still have contact with my parents but the parameters are very different.
As I have gained strength they have receeded in their impact on my life. There are two factors at play here. First, the road to recovery is not linear. There are ups and downs, but as long as you keep the ups in greater proportion than the downs, you will gain strength. The second factor is that I don't care anymore. I have detached myself from my empathetic attachment to them and find it is the only way to survive. As I have done this I felt a bit strange. Like it was abnormal, non-human. But in the coarse of time I have come to realize that this is EXACTLY how they have viewed me all this time. I was not an object of love. I was ONLY an object. It astounds me at how cold they actually are. But while I had my empathy I was never able to realize it. Now of course, we communicate and interact, but I no longer feel the pain. I have come to accept it and have started to love myself.
So I guess what I am saying is, there is hope. Just work at it and be willing to let go. There are plenty of loving people in the world to interact with. As for my parents, I just interact without much emotional attachment. It's the only way to survive. At least for me.
Steve