An effect of trauma
Animal cruelty
Having hurt an animal. As a child, in a house where hurting things was normal and you had nothing else with less power than you. Or as an adult, in rage, or to frighten somebody. It is one of the most condemned things a person can admit to, which means it is almost never said, which means it almost never gets addressed. It very often shows up in people who were being badly hurt themselves at the time.
If an animal is in danger from you now, get them somewhere else today. Beyond that, this is worth understanding rather than only condemning, because condemnation is the reason it stays hidden and hidden is where it keeps happening. A child doing this is usually a child something is being done to. An adult doing it usually has a rage problem with a history behind it. Neither is a life sentence and both are workable once said.
It can sound like
If any of those sentences live in your head too, you are in good company here.
Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and nothing here decides what is wrong with you, because nothing is wrong with you. Something happened to you. This page exists so that when you are ready, you can find people who understand it from the inside.
You do not have to carry this alone.
Bridge of Hope Recovery is a free, anonymous, peer-led fellowship for trauma survivors. Meetings run throughout the week by phone, by video, and in person. No cost, no waitlist, no one asking for your real name.