My daughter (who is a life coach) tells me it's a form of trauma bonding. And that's really powerful. Cops, firemen, military, nurses - we all tend to hang out with our colleagues & make them our friends because they get the hard parts of our lives. When I walked away from all that - I knew I needed some new life infused into my relationships.

Thanks so much for responding. I hope your teacher friend finds some good people to let into her life that she can bond with, minus the traumas of her past career.

Happy New Year to you both!!