Too many children are raised in hostile environments where they learn that life is something to suffer through, people are to be feared, and love is simply a word. Without some kind of intervention, adults abused as children will need to learn about cause and effect, healthy attitudes, loving relationships, and they ll need to learn about trust. The following sample was written by a woman in her 40 s, well-removed from the abuse of her childhood yet fully aware of some residual effects in her life. She asks if her handwriting shows what might be holding her back. Most evident is the tightness, the compression, the lack of flowing strokes.
Meticulous attention is directed in retracing downstrokes, particularly in the lowercase letter m.
Rigid like fenceposts and disciplined like soldiers, the strokes form a barrier protecting what lies within. This same protection, once crucial to her survival, could now prevent her from living the life she wants. Normal for Maureen meant daily vigilance. In her home, acts of physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse were frequent. At any moment, her mother could fly into another life-threatening rage.