I want a relationship before it’s too late, but I don’t trust myself to stay safe | Ask Annalisa

You’ve made a great start by seeking professional help, but before dating again you could try getting used to social interaction in a safe, group setting
• Every week Annalisa Barbieri addresses a relationship problem sent in by a reader

I would love to be with a partner but am held back by paralysing doubts about my judgment about people and ability to work out who can be trusted.

I grew up in an unsafe family where I was my mum’s carer and was abducted and raped at 16 by someone I knew – an experience I buried, with much of what else happened to me as a younger person. I struggled with low confidence and exploitative partners, friends and employers for years and found it hard to stand up for myself, despite superficially looking fairly functional, I think.

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