We understand your pain

The contract two people had between them that was supposed to be unbreakable and impermeable has been broken. The betrayed partner finds themselves wondering about who is this person I am with and have the past years all been a lie. You do not have to go through this alone or without tools to repair the unfathomable damage.  We gently support and guide both parties through this and help them understand the context of the affair.  We do not minimize the damage but we do believe there is a way to navigate through it and rebuild trust and faithfulness again.

Did you know?

  • Only 10% will marry their affair partner and then there is huge mistrust when married. If you leave someone and expect to have a long term relationship with the partner in the affair the chances are 1-2%.
  • Shirley Glass Says- infidelity is more likely to lead to divorce if the unfaithful spouse is the wife.
  • For women, it only takes one liaison and they are more likely to divorce. For men, it takes a serious relationship to divorce.
  • There is a higher chance of divorce if affair is combined-type involvement which equals sex and emotional connection. Wives had more of this type of affair.
  • Women are more likely to have affairs with old flames, friends, or neighbors.
  • Most affairs are happening at work. From 1990 to present, 50% of wives had affairs at work; between 1980-90, 38% had work affairs.
  • Internet Chats are a real problem — partners are more accessible and it fills the need of emotional connection late at night when one of the partners has gone to sleep.
  • As many women are having affairs as men.

 

 

  • When unfaithful wives were younger than 31 years old with no kids, they were more likely to divorce after an affair.
  • Men are more likely than women to separate sex and love.
  • 26% of men said that they could have sex without becoming emotionally involved; only 3% of women said the same.
  • Two-thirds of husbands and wives regarded falling in love as justification to have affair.
  • Couples need to learn to distinguish “falling in love” and “being in love”. Mature strong love” is a committed long-term relationship that is good enough and may not always be fantastic.
  • No one can compete with the excitement and novelty of an affair because it is secret, dangerous, passionate and novel.
  • Speaking of novelty, National Geographic reports that the relationships that take place in exciting or novel environments create the same chemical reactions in the brain that feels like love: the newness and secrecy makes it feel like love.
  • There is little reality to an affair because both partners are not in their normal environments.
  • In the majority of cases, the spouse does not know about the affair.
  • Most predictive emotional cue is not saying “I love you” to the partner anymore.
  • Disclosure of infidelity by women more frequently leads to divorce.
  • Men who had mothers with philander issues exhibit pathological jealousy, and women with dads that were philanderers tended to stay with their husbands if they were philanderers as well.

Getting over it.

  • Get rid of all mementos and reminders. Make the farewell final — the partner needs to hear it and send the letters.
  • Answer all unanswered questions: complete disclosure. If you are not sure you can handle the answer to the question, do not ask it. Explicit sexual details may do more harm than good.
  • Work as a couple together to repair the old wounds and flashbacks. The unfaithful one should not minimize the other’s pain or avoid talking about it.
  • The offender needs to put the betrayed partner on the inside. Be completely open and do not leave room for your partner to fill in the blanks about details of the affair — the imagination will always go to the worst case scenario.
  • Cement the wall with the affair partner: concretely end all contact.
  • Keep no secrets: do not try to protect a partner from pain or hurt by keeping secrets. Any mistruths or “white lies” can sabotage the healing process and put you back at square one.
  • Prove that it is over with concrete evidence.
  • Accountability is important: the unfaithful partner needs to answer, for a while, to the other person. i.e., phoning the partner on the hour or giving a specific breakdown of the day’s events.
  • Respect boundaries. Behavior must change — create new safer patterns around the opposite sex.
  • Loosen the cord — do not keep them on a short leash forever. Autonomy is a must again, and the offended partner needs to learn to trust again and give space. No one can guarantee anything, however, one still needs to

 

 

Remember

In order to get someone back, do not chase or grovel and promise to be better. This creates a sense of “no challenge” for the partner, and gives your power away

 

 

Address the issues in the relationship

  • Is the marriage too child-centered?
  • Deal with incompatible sexual interests.
  • Build fun into the relationship with common interests.

 

Forgiveness is NOT

  • Forgetting
  • Excusing or condoning
  • Reconciliation
  • Giving permission to continue the behavior

Forgiveness IS

  • A gift you give to self
  • A choice
  • A process and letting go of pain
  • Letting go of obsessive bitterness
  • Letting go of revenge

What is

unforgivable?

Easy forgiveness can be perceived as a license to continue in hurtful behaviour.

Has the affair stopped? Is there regret and remorse? Beware of quick promises to change and repeat offenders. Watch out for the addictive cycle.

Granting Forgiveness

  • Acknowledge your own pain.
  • Understand the personal weakness and emotional vulnerabilities.
  • Be specific about what you expect and what you cannot tolerate.

 

 

  • Be specific about what you are forgiving your partner for. 
  • Perform an overt act of forgiveness verbally, physically, or in writing.
  • Stop blaming and start living.

Not in the Langley Area?

We offer intensive multi-day marathon counselling or couples workshops in multiple cities across British Columbia and Alberta.

 

Don’t throw in the towel – your relationship is worth fighting for

Even though it is easy to lose hope in finding a way out, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Our job is to help you find it.