While my abuse was long ago and not related to BDSM, I have to agree with gem. No one has to remain broken.

Talking with others on this forum helped me a lot. Even though I went to a therapist, it's not the same as talking to people who went through it.

When a therapist says, "you have to be a survivor," that's one thing, hearing it from someone who did survive is more likely to bring up the, "hey, if they can do it, I can too!"

ash