Sarah Hyland Says Abusive Relationships Can Damage the 'Soul'

Sarah Hyland opens up about the ongoing negative effects and trauma from an allegedly abusive relationship nearly a decade ago.

“[The PTSD stays] in that tortured place in your soul, where you think it's your fault all the time and you could have done better, you could have come out sooner, you could have told people,” Hyland, 33, told. Variety in an interview published on Thursday, October 24. “It's like you don't want to talk about it anymore. You want it done, and that's it. I completely understand how it's different.”

He continued, “I'm very guilty of that myself… until something happened where I was initiated, and I didn't realize that some part of me was healed. I don't even know that part [of] any woman will ever be fully healed of that. It's something that hurts his soul a little bit.”

I Modern Family The alum also revealed that she is working “[put] love in that scar” instead of “ignore it.”

Hyland previously granted a restraining order against the present-eg Matt Prokop in 2014, alleging that he had choked and verbally abused her during their multi-year relationship.

“His hand was so tight that I couldn't breathe or speak,” said the actor in court, obtained by Us Weekly at that time. “I was afraid and I feared for my life.”

Hyland's lawyer Lee A. Sherman later he was told Us that “the included documents speak for themselves.”

A well near Hyland later he was told Us that “it was a really scary situation,” adding, “She's a strong girl.” I have no doubt you will go back to this. She has been through a lot in her life, but she is still an amazing and strong person. … He wants to leave this situation behind.”

Prokop, 34, did not go public about the incident he was accused of at the time, and refused to comment.

Related: Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams relationship timeline

Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams are proof that Instagram can be the beginning of a beautiful love story. Us Weekly exclusively revealed in October 2017 that Hyland and Adams were dating. Months later, Hyland shared that the two met through social media. “Have you seen those 'Slide into the DMs' memes? That. He slipped […]

Hyland, meanwhile, now wants to use her public platform to support other survivors.

“We haven't talked about it for thousands of years. “The community has never been involved enough, I believe,” said Hyland Variety. “I feel that if we talk about it more, more women – and men and just people, in general, in abusive relationships – will feel more comfortable being able to talk about it with their loved ones instead of letting their abuser isolate them from everyone, which is the first thing they do so you don't have that community. So we have to keep talking about it. It's really important to be able to help the needy.”

Hyland also managed to get through this situation with the help of his pets. (She and her husband, a Bachelor Nation alum Wells Adamshandling multiple dogs together.)

“I wouldn't be able to get through most of the times without my dog. However, at the same time animals can be used as a deception tactic,” Hyland said. So their lives are on the line [to] try to hurt a person with an animal.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.