Re: NEED HELP WITH WIFE
Your wife's problem is not about the other women. It's about her own fears and insecurities. No amount of explaining your thoughts or discounting the appearance of your classmates, teachers, patients, innocent passersby will completely alleviate her concerns because they are not the problem. It IS important that you let her know you value her and find her attractive, but by itself, that isn't sufficient to fill the hole in her spirit.
The fact that she has a history of sexual abuse and a difficult life strongly suggests that these issues are still actively hurting her. You are both very fortunate that she was able to enter into a healthy marriage and have a child. Many former victims can't trust enough to do either.
The fact that you are starting nursing school isn't causing her insecurity; it's revealing what is already in there. If it weren't this situation, there would probably be another trigger at some point. An attractive neighbor or nice-looking coworkers (which will likely occur when you start working as a nurse). Eliminating the competition may put a lid on the symptoms for a time, but it won't fix what's broken.
I suggest that you both consider professional counseling geared toward survivors of sexual and other kinds of abuse and the people who love them. She may need a support group as well. Many former victims feel they have wounds that have "healed over" but that is a misconception. They may be scarred over, but unless the wounds were attended to and curative measures taken, real healing is still in the future.
Your wife may not initially be receptive to the thought of digging up the past, and that's all right. Some types of therapy are much more concerned with the present and resurrect history only enough to defuse it and let it go. The focus is on the ways that the old business hinders progress and function today. There may not be a lot of "wallowing."
Your wife getting help is important, not only for her own sake, but also because you have a daughter. Your wife needs the freedom (from old trauma) to communicate security, safety and joy to her child and to build a home that is free from unnecessary strife and old ghosts.
She is fortunate to have a caring and dedicated husband like you. Maybe you can do some research on your own to learn about the present-day fallout of unresolved sexual abuse and become an encourager and a resource in her quest for health and freedom.
I wish all three of you the best.
Nursing News