How Do You Recover After a Partner's Affair?
Discovering that your partner has had an affair is devastating. First comes the avalanche of emotions - shock, anger, denial, grief, hurt, pain and fear. Then comes the avalanche of "now what" questions - "What do I do now? How do I go on? Is my relationship over? What about the kids? What is going to happen? Is there hope for recovery?" The list goes on and on.
Marriages can and do survive affairs if both partners are willing to do the hard work. Bob and I have worked with many of the survivors. Some couples go on to have even closer and deeper relationships (not that anyone would choose this as a way to build a closer connection).One of the premier experts, Peggy Vaughan, wrote about affairs in her book, The Monogamy Myth. Peggy and her husband, James Vaughan, boldly went public with the story of their experience recovering from James' affairs in 1980.Peggy founded Beyond Affairs Network (BAN), a network of local support groups for people dealing with the impact of a spouse's affair. It is a free, grassroots organization run by local BAN Coordinators.In November 2012, Peggy passed away and chose Anne Bercht to succeed her in continuing and managing BAN. Peggy's desire was to leave access to all of her extensive writing for free on her website, DearPeggy.com. Check it out. It is a treasure trove of information on many different aspects of affairs.We'd like to share her article on Recovering from a Partner’s Affair. It is a comprehensive resource on recovery and gives hope to people walking through this courageous journey.We're grateful to Peggy for sharing her wisdom for free. What a beautiful legacy.If you need assistance with emotional and/or sexual betrayal, contact us by phone (410-363-2825) or email. We would be glad to work with you and/or your partner.Image Copyright Carolyne Pehora