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Betrayed by a close friend after opening up and now I feel isolated and overwhelmed

User Profile: adventurousTangerine1126
adventurousTangerine1126 April 28th, 2025

I (27F) have been struggling with anger, intrusive thoughts, and resurfacing trauma after a close friend’s recent emotional betrayal. Following my breakup last September, I lost not only my partner but also the future we were building, which devastated me. I’ve been diagnosed with MDD, GAD, social anxiety, and C-PTSD from past sexual and emotional abuse, and I’ve been seeing a therapist. After the breakup, I became suicidal, dissociated, and hyper-sexual.

Through therapy, I realized my relationship involved narcissistic abuse, leading to deep self-doubt. I relapsed into self-harm, psychedelics, and experienced flashbacks to my past SA after consensual encounters, leaving me feeling hollow. I leaned on my best friends, “P” (26M) and “J” (26M), even if I often felt anxious about being a burden.

P and I, friends for nearly a decade, had boundary issues—while I was fine with jokes, I asked him not to joke about painful experiences after he called me “stupid” for my relationship, even though he had initially supported me. We were great after that, but when I opened up to him about what I shared above (after he encouraged me to)—particularly my shame with the hyper-sexuality and SA, he called me a “***.” Weeks later, he sent a meme about “perverted women,” referencing what I had shared. His apology left me more hurt than at peace, even though he acted like it was up to me to decide on things, and since then, we’ve barely spoken. When we saw each other at a group hangout, he acted like nothing happened, making me question if he ever valued our friendship.

Since then, I’ve isolated myself, battling anger, anxiety, shame, and suicidal and violent thoughts. I’ve thought about cutting contact with everyone if things worsen, but I feel guilty about how it would affect my family and some friends. It’s been a month since P’s betrayal, and I’m emotionally overwhelmed. I want to reach out for closure and peace, but I fear losing my self-respect. 

Meanwhile, J has been distant due to personal stress, but is aware of the situation with P, made small efforts to check in. He suggested we meet but avoided fully addressing the situation with P. I later found out J and P hung out with the group without inviting me. While I understand P might not want to see me, it hurt to feel excluded, especially after J said I was missed but was not extended an invitation, and stopped responding when I reached out. This has worsened my social anxiety and left me torn between wanting to reconnect and fearing I’ll lose my self-respect—and the friends I miss, who seem unaware of what happened, as P holds the group together.


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User Profile: Fleckeli
Fleckeli April 29th, 2025

@adventurousTangerine1126

This post may only offer a small peek into your life and who you are, but I can't help but admire your strength with just how much you've been able to put up with so far. Not finding the right kind of support after a breakup (and especially after the abuse that came with the relationship) is just cruel. 

Speaking of cruelty, I can't pretend to know this P fellow well enough to judge, but his actions when you needed help the most makes me think you wouldn't be losing much if you were to cut ties. As for J, he does not strike me as malicious, but his behaviour is certainly disappointing for a supposed close friend. I do wish to offer the benefit of the doubt and say that under whatever stress he may be dealing with, he may be burnt out to deal with a situation that could make him feel like he's picking sides. That being said, if the way I perceive friendship and what I expect of it isn't all that juvenile and naive, I would say that J definitely could've done a much better job at handling the situation when you've been hurt so much.

Maybe it's not a terrible idea to talk to J and try and see how he truly feels about the situation, but I sense that the closure you seek may come from doing your best to continue caring for yourself and seeking others who have more capacity for empathy to treat you better.

You are deserving of a lot more love than what you've been given.
User Profile: adventurousTangerine1126
adventurousTangerine1126 OP April 30th, 2025

@Fleckeli

Thank you so much for this. It means more than you know. I’ve been feeling pretty alone in all of it, and your words helped me feel seen. I think you’re right that I’ve been holding on to hope that maybe they’d come around, but maybe it’s time I stop waiting and focus on the people who actually show up. Thanks for reminding me I deserve better.


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