Love should not require proof

Childhood abuse deeply impacts a person’s ability to trust, making healthy, loving, and stable relationships in adulthood challenging. When safety and love were once tied to fear, pain and trauma, the mind learns to expect the same from others. Emotional walls go up—self-protection becomes instinct. Intimacy may feel unsafe, vulnerability unbearable. Even in caring relationships, the fear of abandonment or harm can trigger deep-seated responses. Healing takes time, patience, and often support, but with effort and the right people, trust can be rebuilt, and love can become something safe, not something to fear.