Ask the Unfaithful

In the daily grind of recovery work lies the realization that even the smallest of broken promises can be a trigger to the betrayed. We the unfaithful will constantly refute the betrayed's concerns with responses like 'are you kidding me? it was just the lawns....or the trash cans....or a small bill....or one therapy session or one homework assignment from James or Sam!" We just have such a hard time as unfaithful, making the connection between broken promises and sirens going off in the heart and mind of the betrayed.

"Well, if you can't commit to something as small and easy as the aforementioned items, how can I know you'll stay committed to the bigger things like saying no to temptation and refraining from flirting or acting out again?" answers the betrayed.

"If you can't take seriously the small things, how do I know you'll take seriously the larger, bigger items like therapy, relapse prevention and lifelong sobriety?" says the betrayed.

And....quite honestly, they are right in their concerns. But why you may ask? Today we'll share just why it's vital to be a man or woman of keeping your word.

Unfaithful, take it from both of us, if you want your betrayed to eventually trust you again, keep your word. If you want your betrayed to eventually respect you again, keep your word. If you want your betrayed to eventually start to soften and find more compassion for you, keep your word.

Yes, even in the smallest of items. Keeping your word displays character. Keeping your word displays integrity. Keeping your word displays a heartfelt commitment to sobriety. Keeping your word shows a commitment to building a safe life for ourselves and for our partner.

We the unfaithful don't always see it this way, but respectively, we're not the ones with betrayal trauma.

We hope today is a palatable lesson on how to slowly but surely win back the heart, respect and even trust of the betrayed.

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

Today on the podcast, we discuss and define relational recovery while also addressing how to stay motivated as an unfaithful and how can you keep the momentum going for both the short term and long term. The fact is, it takes grit and perseverance to do relational recovery work. From moodiness to frustration, to confusion and despair, relational recovery is not for the faint of heart. You may be asking, "Does an unfaithful actually need a reminder on why to stay motivated? Don't they know what's at stake?" Yes, unfaithful need both reminders and guideposts on what they are actually working towards. With any journey, exhaustion is a thing. Frustration can also creep in, and if we unfaithful don't have a few necessary ingredients, we run the risk of losing our way and giving up.

There are several challenges to this type of relational recovery that require an open dialogue if they are going to be diffused and overcome. But how do you know what to look for? What are signs of fatigue, disinterest or relapse in recovery work? How do you keep the momentum going and how do you avoid burnout both as an unfaithful and as a betrayed?

Today is a great reminder of what we're fighting for and how we can actually fight. Not with each other, but fight burnout, disillusionment and despair. Learning how to fight is vital if the unfaithful is going to continue to press forward, keeping their eyes on the road ahead, while also being compassionate for the wake of consequences they face daily. The enemy is certainly not the betrayed, despite how many reminders, triggers and intrusive thoughts may arise in the heart and mind of the betrayed. The enemy is avoidance, exhaustion and ignorance. Today we do all we can to help combat these forces while also providing hope for those trying to save both their own lives and their relationships.

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

Have you ever wondered why the unfaithful seem so hot and cold? One minute they're pursuing the betrayed, showing signs they are 'all in.' The next minute, they seem aloof and selfish, if not downright resistant and cantankerous that anyone would ask anything of them. It's as if they protest and complain about having to do any work at all, only to appear to possibly 'get it' the next day, week or month.

Traci Pedersen calls this activity "A repetitive/cyclic push-pull dynamic in a relationship that is characterized by alternating patterns of drawing a partner close (pulling), leading to emotional turbulence and instability."

The back and forth can can leave the betrayed feeling unsure and uncared for, not to mention rejected and even retraumatized.

But why do we do it? What's going on in side of us? What leads us to react this way to 'our person' when it appears so confusing and belittling? After all, we've made choices that have devastated you the betrayed, why would we ever be half in, or back and forth or ambivalent?

The truth is we unfaithful are lost in a sea of confusion, disconnected from empathy and compassion. We slide into the push-pull dynamic out of Insecurity about our capability to be intimate and vulnerable. We also typically live and function in an anxious or avoidant attachment (aka pre-occupied or fearful-avoidant) styles. We struggle to have any form of healthy self-empowerment and continue to regress, harming everyone in our path, causing everyone close to us to feel confused and uncertain.

Today we'll help both the unfaithful and betrayed understand why this dynamic exists and how to not only overcome it, but eradicate it from both the unfaithful and the betrayed's lives and recoveries. There is hope for both parties to not only understand this dynamic but overcome it.

As always, if we can help in any way please reach out to us at [email protected].

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

How do you know if the unfaithful is using the betrayed for their own insecurities or affirmation, and what are the warning signs? Do unfaithful partners actually use their partners or spouses to feel good about themselves?

Sadly, the answer is yes, sometimes we do. When we're unsafe and not committed to or working any specific plan or program, we're dangerous. As one clinician says, "we are human wrecking balls, using and destroying everyone in our path."

The very instance of betrayal can leave the betrayed feeling they were never really loved and were just used to fuel the unfaithful's narcissism. From emotional detachment to distancing and isolation to manipulation and coercion, is it any wonder the betrayed partner struggles to believe they were or are still wanted by the unfaithful?

When our words and actions don't match and we refuse to follow through on promises or even the slightest of commitments, we leave our betrayed partner feeling not only confused but hopeless for long term change and healing. When the overall tone of an unfaithful is an apparent unwillingness to be loving, empathetic or sacrificial, what is the betrayed left to believe?

In today's episode, we'll discuss both subtle and not so subtle behaviors as well as outline a list of red flags to look for which describe the heart and mindset of the unfaithful. We know that not all unfaithfuls are the same and not all unfaithfuls are using their partners or spouses. However, as you listen and process through today's information, use it as once again a litmus test to determine your mental and emotional health as an unfaithful partner. Use it as a yardstick to see where your sincerity and commitment to restoration measure up.

You just might be surprised at where you land?

We wish the best for each of you in your own recovery and desperately hope for your relationship's healing. Not all marriages or relationships can be saved, but every person committed to personal restoration has a chance. A chance to break free of old patters and find new purpose, meaning and hope.

Remember, time does not heal all wounds...it's what you do with the time that matters...

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

I wrote a journal entry yesterday with no real intent and it turned out to be about my journey to where I am now. A journey I'm still on, to be sure! It isn't my chapter-by-chapter story but it highlights what the journey itself has been about - what it has taught me and how it continues to change me in ways i never expected when I started - or even part way through. I want to share it with you because I am hopeful that it can provide some hope to those of you just starting out or needing some motivation to keep going. It is a worthwhile path.

With love and prayers for your healing,

James

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

Why do we unfaithful seem so committed to avoiding hard conversations, especially those about our infidelity or addiction? Why does it feel to the betrayed, that we just can't seem to discuss anything emotionally difficult or anything that presents us in a negative, less than perfect light? The truth is, you betrayed are right, we do avoid hard conversations and are massively apprehensive to discuss our infidelity. But why do we do it? What's going on behind the scenes?

This toxic avoidance of ours causes many problems for the betrayed parters, often times leaving them feeling undermined and worried that we are returning to our old self-centered selves, with no real desire to heal or change. It also comes off as us wanting to avoid our partners like they're the plague and says we don't care enough to hold their pain and don't want to help them heal, leaving them feeling desperately alone, wounded and uncared for.

We say we want to heal and want the relationship, but the betrayed feels lost in a sea of mixed signals from us. These conflicting messages continue to leave our partner feeling wickedly off balance, underminded and just plain confused. In order to help the betrayed feel safe, we must learn to focus on what we do and not just what we say as these mixed messages continue to retraumatize the betrayed. Our acting close yet pulling away creates an emotional rollercoaster amongst an already emotional firestorm set ablaze by your private, double lives.

As we discuss these reasons and signs today, we hope the you both, unfaithful and betrayed feel not only seen, but identified and validated in both your pain and confusion. As we say time and time again, there is a better way and there is hope for your situation. If you're reading this and if you have breath in your lungs, it's not too late for you and your own healing. We don't know about your relationship but we do know about you and your own purpose, healing and future. Don't give up on you and don't give up on your own process. If you don't yet have a process, contact us at [email protected] and we'll help you find and develop a process specific to you and your story.

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

For the couple endeavoring to heal from infidelity or addiction, the holidays can be not only confusing, but disorienting and highly triggering. From reminders to intrusive thoughts, to confusion over what once was to questions about what was real or what was fake, it can be a gruesome time that couples learn to dread. However, with an expert driven plan and strategy, even couples new to the recovery process can gain ground and develop momentum during the holidays or painful anniversary dates.

Instead of winging it, both spouses can utilize a strategy that provides a framework of compassion and empathy for what both parties may be facing during an unsettling time. While both parties face unique nuances, the truth is, they need each other if they are going to make it through the holiday season or process through anniversary dates.

While it may seem impossible to believe, the holiday season doesn't have to be paralyzing and you don't have to just 'suffer through the holidays.' Today you'll find a concrete, step by step plan for both parties to find peace, healing and actual tools to apply to both situations and events.

We highly encourage you to take notes and apply these expert driven principles from survivors of infidelity and betrayal. Remember, you're not alone and you're not without hope and you're not without a proven plan that has helped hundreds of couples make it through what seems like an insurmountable time.

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

Is your spouse or partner emotionally immature? What qualifies as emotional immaturity in the life of the unfaithful and isn't an affair a significant marker of emotional immaturity? Today we'll share and break down the understanding that emotional immaturity is the tendency to express – or even bury emotions without restraint. Emotional immaturity can also be excessive emotions for situations that can be severely out of control or needlessly amplified for the situation. This kind of emotional reactivity can destroy trust, respect and connection which undermines the entire goal of restoration and reconciliation. While the desire to heal may be communicated, shouted or vehemently expressed by the unfaithful, without a commitment to work through emotional immaturity, all efforts at healing will prove null and void

Today we venture out into the waters of what constitutes emotional immaturity and how to address it in either your own life or your partner's life. We can both attest to the fact that emotional immaturity is almost always a precursor to infidelity and/or addiction and absolutely has to be healed and addressed if any unfaithful hopes of living a sober or at the very least, healthy life.

The betrayed partner hopes and dreams of an unfaithful partner who although emotionally immature at the time of the affair(s), ultimately decides of their own will to do the work required to mature, heal and repair when possible. The betrayed also yearns for an unfaithful, male or female, that decides to take ownership not only of the affair or the addiction, but the massive amounts of collateral damage caused by their emotional immaturity. In today's hard hitting episode you'll hear not only the 5 signs of emotional immaturity, but also practical solutions that can be implemented to bring about healing, maturity and repair. If you're an unfaithful, take today's podcast as a lifeline to the next step of your healing. If you're floundering, today may be a new compass of which to rely on for clarity, growth and new life for you and your relationship.

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

Have you ever gone through a 'therapeutic separation?' Looking back, do you think you needed one after discovery? Maybe you're contemplating one now for you and your spouse or partner? The reality is, a therapeutic separation doesn't have to be just a mere prelude to a divorce. If done right, it just may save your marriage, preserve your family and pave the way to healthier communication, redeemed intimacy and even restored trust. When it comes to separations, many are forced to just 'wing it' and do whatever they think will get the job done. The problem lies in what is the job they think a separation will do? What is the desired outcome and how do you achieve that outcome? Should it be an 'in-house' separation or should it be in separate residences? How can you tell? What are the deciding variables to consider?

Today we'll discuss not only these variables and metrics that deserve discussion and evaluation, but lay out a plan for any couple in crisis or gridlock who are looking for a guide to a therapeutic separation. We'll discuss how to decide if a separation is right for you, goals of the separation, the need for a mission statement and what not to do in this difficult situation.

Rest assured, you don't have to wing it. You don't have to try and reinvent the wheel and go blindly into this minefield that may actually make things worse if done hastily. There is indeed hope for any couple trying to heal from infidelity or addiction and a therapeutic separation may be the hinge on which the marriage eventually turns.

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery

Have you been feeling like your situation is not like anybody else's? Do you find yourself planning your own way of dealing with your behaviors and the effects of them on your partner? This video helps explain why that isn't the way - and why you need to surrender your ego to the process of healing and connecting to others and, in doing so, with yourself.

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Our Website: www.AskTheUnfaithful.com

Contact us: [email protected]

Find James & Sharon at the CORE Relationship Recovery website: www.HopeForUs.com

Find more from Sam at Sam's Healing Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast

Follow James at LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/james-annear-lmhc-704551157

Follow CORE Relationship Recovery (James & Sharon) on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORERelationshipRecovery