[Mallika]

Hi Ashley,

Thank you for reaching out.

Let me start off by saying that feeling angry, hurt, upset and traumatised after all these years is natural after having experienced such a violent incident with your uncle. I'm sorry that you had to go through that when you only had the good intention of protecting his girlfriend. Please don't beat yourself up for feeling this way.

There's no excuse for men to physically assault a woman. Your uncle has taken advantage of his position as an older male relative to abuse you. He couldn't control his anger that you wanted to protect his girlfriend - a person he should have been protecting instead of abusing. You have every right to be angry at him.

However, don't let this incident bog you down. I know this is easier said than believed, but not every man will behave with you this way. Not every man you will meet will necessarily behave in an abusive manner. The best way to overcome this is by meeting a therapist/counsellor who specialises in healing people who have experienced traumatic episodes. You might find some in your area through a quick Google search.

I agree with the rest in encouraging you to seek professional help with this. You've already won half the battle of opening up about this with us - speaking about something is the best start to recovery.

I wish you the very best! Feel free to DM me if you'd like to chat about anything