How do you guys mentally process awful things that have happened in your partner's past?
Fairly tasty Korean food for dinner today! I started dating somebody a few months ago and it's been wonderful thus far. The only thing I've found distressing is that my girlfriend has had some terrible experiences with men before she met me - think boundary violations and sexual misconduct. She hasn't let it affect the relationship in any way and everything I'm feeling isn't because of her.
Rather, I'm finding it difficult to deal with the sadness of these awful things happening to her in her past, even though she seems to be mostly over it. I just feel so painful that people have hurt her before, and thinking about it feels like a stab to the heart. I don't know if you guys have experienced something similar, and how you guys got over it, or resolved these intrusive thoughts.
Most advice I find online is about if someone's past trauma leaks into the relationship, and how to deal with that, but that's not at all what's happening here! It hasn't gotten in the way of our relationship at all, just my peace of mind! I keep telling myself that anything relationship related that she experiences from now on is within my power and to never let anything like that happen to her again. Thanks in advance :)