Hi Idealist, thank you for your kind words. Yes, I have thought a lot about this stuff while I was putting my life back together. I so much want to share everything that I have learned! When your parents didn't notice that you were gone this sounds a bit like I grew up. What you described about being social but not intimate with others, boy do I understand what you are talking about here. They call this fear of intimacy and I had to unravel this one with myself too. I think that it is related to self-worth and healthy boundaries.