Hi Michelle, first I think you need to adjust your expectation. This should be a very emotional time for you, just as you hope it will be for your reader. But here’s the difference: no one is trying to hurt anyone with the violence on these pages. You will be using it as story pressure to create something meaningful and worth sharing, a story that makes sense with a beginning, middle, and end. While looking back it’s so important to remember that you are revisiting these events for a purpose but you can walk away any time you want since that part of your life has ended. Looking forward, remember that what you are exposing isn’t shameful but profoundly human, and ultimately beautiful –a transformation within you. Hugs to you on your writing journey.