It's very difficult b/c the abused child was never saved and they had to eventually save themselves over & over again in childhood, but usually in unhealthy ways. So as adults, we seek out saviors to have that experience completed--to have an adult who will save our childhood self without realizing that we have to save ourselves in a new way. What's more, the abused child has become an adult who might be so emotionally detached, exhausted, and poor that it becomes very difficult to find the inner resource to save oneself.