Throwaway account for privacy.
I was in an abusive relationship with an ex-boyfriend for several years. He was psychologically, physically, and emotionally abusive and to this day it still affects me. I have reoccurring nightmares, severe trust and intimacy issues, heightened anxiety, abandonment issues, PTSD…just to name a new.
We went no contact immediately after we broke up. After 1.5 years of no contact, he reached out to me. This past weekend, he and his friends began sending me lewd and accusatory text messages and calling me from fake phone numbers. I’m not sure what his intentions were, but I immediately felt myself going back to the headspace I worked so hard to get of.
I’d finally had enough and filed a petition for a restraining order on Monday. I wanted to make it clear to him that I would never be one of his victims again.
Even though I know this is what I want and what I need to protect myself, I still feel sick to my stomach about it. I’m not only anxious about having to face him in court after not seeing him for 1.5 years, but also sharing my my story in a courtroom and essentially being at the mercy of a judge.
My question for you all is, what can I expect? What kind of questions will the judge ask me? For added context, I’m representing myself, as I heard this was the typical route for these kinds of cases.