NC because this feels extra sensitive...
About 9 years ago I was in a (relatively) brief abusive relationship – about a year long.
I've never told anyone what happened within that relationship, and in fact very few people in my life even knew I was with the man in question. He was physically, emotionally and sexually abusive, and drove my confidence to a very low point. I find it hard to believe that I stayed as long as I did.
He and I parted ways, he came to my house and raped me once after we broke up, and then tried to contact me again via Facebook a few times, but I never responded. Since then I've had two more relationships and have hardly thought about him.
But over the past year or so it's come back into my mind a LOT.
I've had bad dreams about him, tiny flashbacks during the day at odd moments, and have even looked him up on social media, just to see what he's doing now.
I feel like there's some things there that need to be processed, and that actually just the act of saying what happened out loud might help. But it also feels like it was so long ago... I'm in a happy relationship now, and it doesn't seem to have any other impact on my life, other than these little flashes...
Has anyone else had an experience like this? Are these just memories resurfacing or should I be taking them more seriously?