Shoutout to fellow sibling-abuse survivors.
Sibling abuse is said to be the most common form of domestic abuse, but also the least reported due to the circumstances surrounding it.
People tend to play it off as siblings being siblings, but it's not. If you lived in fear of your sibling(s), if you are traumatized/suffer PTSD from it, if they abused you in literally any damn way, even if you had good times or they helped you otherwise, it was still abuse and you should be able to speak on it and get the help you need to process it without it being downplayed.
Whether they were abused as well or not should not invalidate your own experience. They still hurt you. You're allowed to feel what you feel about it.
If someone tells you you have to talk to or forgive them because they're family, know that you do not actually have to. Not unless you want to.
Whether you interact with/forgive the ones who hurt you or not should be your choice. Don't let anyone pressure you until you're sure you're ready for it.
If you ever are ready, and you can talk about it with them when you've had some time apart (aka one of you moved out or you are certain they can't or won't try to hurt you again) and they seem more levelheaded, I hope you get the responses you need to move on.
If that never comes, I hope you can make peace with it on your own, or however you need to handle it emotionally to feel your best. If what you need to feel about it is just rage or dispair, then go ahead. Whatever works.
Just please. Take care of yourself. It can/might/will have a lasting impact, and you should be able to talk about it without hearing people say "Oh, that's just how it is with siblings!"
Because it's not supposed to be like that. There are siblings who grow up never hurting another sibling or have never had to fear the others cruelty.
It's just hard to recognize when you often hear people downplaying their own abuse as a natural consequence for growing up with others. It shouldn't be. This should not be the norm.
