[Anonymous1]

I don't know where to start, so let me introduce myself first. I'm 15 years old (bordering 16) and I've been in a stable long distance relationship with my girlfriend for almost a year.

Not two days ago I was talking to her about her past when she decided to confess to me she was raped as a child (8-9 years old), and she's changed ever since. She's 16 now and doesn't think about it anymore, and she tells me she doesn't let it affect her but I'm scared and worried. Now that we decided to talk about it it's hurting us both remembering what happened in her childhood (she got raped, her mother beat and screamed at her, her father divorced and left her, she got bullied at school and had to leave and get homeschooling, she got into substance abuse at an early age but stopped again, the list goes on).

I'm finding it extremely hard to be a supportive boyfriend, because we don't know what to do. She hasn't told anybody else, not even her parents, which is worrying to me because I don't want her bottling up her emotions, but I don't want to force her to telling anyone if she doesn't feel comfortable with it. I wish we could get professional help but she's scared about it. I really don't know where else to turn, the past few days have been really hard on us both.

We're hoping internet resources such as teenhelp.org will help us both get over it and live a normal life again, so that she's no longer tormented by her past. Ever since, she's been overweight, alone, shy, keeping to herself and spends all of her time on the internet.

I'm also worried about how talking about it is making her feel. She feels guilty for telling me (because it's been hurting me a lot too, knowing what she went through), even though I've assured her it's not her fault and it was the right thing to do (telling me), and she's afraid it will affect our relationship.

I just don't know what to do anymore, I don't know where else to turn, I don't know how to get over it, I don't know where to get help.