Hi again Maria :hello:
I don't know if you're aware of it, but there is also a disorder called Complex-PTSD (aka Disorder of Extreme Stress).
C-PTSD better describes the pervasive negative impact of chronic repetitive trauma than does PTSD alone. You can read up on it here by doing a search or just looking at the entire section on C-PTSD. It will explain what happens to some people, not just children, exposed to chronic trauma. I recognized myself as soon as I read it last year.
C-PTSD is sometimes referred to Developmental Trauma but the lines can get blurry between experts. I think DT encompasses issues of chronic neglect and abandonment.
As for recovery, while it can take a lot of time and effort to recover, I found that I recovered from a lot of it. That said, although I am now a very social being, like you, I am more comfy with myself. I can easily experience anxiety with others, depending on the social situation, but this is all as a result of my negative self-talk and image. When it's positive, you'd never know I have C-PTSD.
But even when I feel anxiety and think i am coming across as anxious, it doesn't always show. Case in point, I was the MC at my niece's wedding this year. Everyone told me I did an excellent job and my cousin who does conferences said she would hire me in a minute. I couldn't believe what I was hearing because how I felt inside during the whole event was awful and very anxious. Go figure!
I hope this helps.
Johnny
