Welcome to Betrayal Trauma Recovery. This is Anne. I am honored to have a client on the

podcast today. Her name is Florence. And Florence is 75 years old and she has experienced a lot of trauma throughout her life multiple

multiple times. Welcome Florence. Thank you Ann. It's nice to be here. Thank you for

having this organization. It's nice to be here. Thank you for having this organization. It's something I wish I had had 45 years ago.

So Florence, I wanted to ask you, over the years, how has it changed? Like, how did you relate to it say in your 30s or 40s or 50s did you try different things?

I would say that I have engaged several processes in trying to figure out what was going on.

I think this is probably one of the most challenging issues that a spouse can be called upon to deal with and I tell my husband and everybody I know that I'm everything I am today because of him because I had to survive.

How old were you when you and your husband married?

Let me see.

How long have you been married?

44 years.

I was introduced to his illness, but I didn't know it was an illness three days after we were

married.

You were about 30 at the time?

Yes, in my early 30s. My first reaction was

devastation and fear. Back in those days women didn't have the same options that they do today and I had just moved my two

daughters and myself to a new location where I had no friends and no associates and very little opportunity to find

gainful employment to support myself.

In doing so, I had cut off any support systems that I might have had and I was really on my own.

So were you married before this?

I was.

You had children.

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