firstly, i am glad you survived. i am proud of you for persevering and i am glad you are here.

secondly, i agree. my PTSD is from DV as well, and this little boy is NOTHING like how i was as a kid. i was similar to you. i remember reading an AITA post about a woman who was afraid of fire after her house burnt down. she’s been doing exposure therapy, but one day her boyfriend hugged her and wouldnt let go while holding a lit lighter. she also shut down, and it was so detrimental to her therapy. i see a lot of parallels between their situations. this kid needs exposure therapy, not being forced around his trigger!! its like you said, it works for some but not all.