67. How Betrayed Partners and Sex Addicts Can Communicate Effectively

Even the best communicators will be challenged when recovering from sexual betrayal.

Fear, anger, resentment, injustice, a lack of trust… This is not a great container for grounded conversation. But this is reality, and you’re going to need to learn how to navigate it as a couple.

Too often, couples recovering from infidelity heal in isolation but fight together. The problem is that healing happens together… not apart.

On this episode, I’m joined by Dani Peterson. She works with betrayed partners and couples in recovery. She and I discuss the difficulties that couples face when communicating post-betrayal.

For those of you interested in working with Dani, she has offered our listeners a FREE 30 minute consultation. Use the link here to schedule: https://calendly.com/danimpeterson/consultation

You can learn more about Dani at her website: https://www.danimpeterson.com/

Have you read my recovery book? If not, I want to give you access to the first chapter for free. Use this link here: https://successfuladdict.com/firstchapter

FULL TRANSCRIPT

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Communication between couples after their sexual betrayal, one

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of the hardest things that you're gonna go

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through as a couple.

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Pain, fear, a lack of trust,

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never seem to say the right thing, but

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is saying the right thing actually what matters?

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Or is there a more effective way for

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you two to communicate? That's what we're gonna

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talk about in this episode.

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You are listening to the sex addiction podcast

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for high achievers, business professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs.

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This podcast is designed to apply sobriety and

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recovery principles specifically to the mindset of the

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high achiever. I'm your host, Roland Cochran, founder

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of The Successful Addict, a recovery group for

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high achieving men struggling with sex and porn

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addiction. For more information about joining our group

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or attending our next retreat, visit successfuladdict.com.

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And now, enjoy the rest of the episode.

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Today, I'm joined by Danny Peterson. You and

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I connected when I was looking for more

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partner support, and you and I got on

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the discussion of

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the difficulties

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of communication

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after betrayal.

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It is without question

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the thing that disrupts the home the most.

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I mean, it is just it's one thing

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to have the betrayal, and then now you

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have this recurring,

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I mean, almost I mean, the beginning multiple

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times a day. Right? You know, but even

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a year in, it's still far from gone.

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I mean, it's painful conversation after painful conversation.

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And if you don't know how to have

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those conversations,

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oh, boy. It I mean, after a while,

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somebody usually starts to get some quit in

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them. And, when they start to get that

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quit,

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it gets really tough. I mean, this is

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it's hard enough to make it through this.

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If somebody starts getting one foot in, one

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foot out,

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oh my gosh. It's almost impossible at that

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point. And so the purpose of this is

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I I'd really love

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to talk about what are what are those

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things that you and I have learned through

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communication, through, you know, personal experience and professional

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trading,

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and how we can help other couples not

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get that quit. I mean, you really do.

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You need

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you need to fight in a good way,

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fighting for the relationship, not fighting with your

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partner, and you need hope. You know, you've

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gotta have you gotta have both feet in.

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You gotta be you gotta be fighting and

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advocating for

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the rectification of this. You know, you guys

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have gotta stop being enemies, but it's hard

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in this dynamic. So I think that's where

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I like to first start is just to

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frame, you know, a lot of you a

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lot of the listeners are already gonna know

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this, but I wanna reframe it.

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Danny, can you talk to me about the

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story?

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Like, what are some of the stories the

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partner is saying to herself that makes communication

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so

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challenging? I wanna I wanna I want the

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guys to really understand

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what they think they're dealing with every single

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day because, you know, as the guys, we

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don't we don't have to live with the

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same level of pain. Can you kinda paint

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a picture of what it's like to be

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a betrayed partner?

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Well, speaking from my own experience and then

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just the clients that I've personally seen, there's

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a common thread in

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the it it reveals insecurities.

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That that's what comes up for partners and

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the fear and the uncertainty

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and what this all

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means. And

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they question

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their

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own self worth, their own femininity,

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and it's just

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confusing,

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from the get go and surprising.

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I will see either

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partners who are

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so

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they go so numb, and they take it

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to heart like it's something about them.

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And then I see the other side

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where the partner,

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understandably

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and rightfully so, has a lot of anger

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that comes up,

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which underneath there is a lot of fear

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too. But that anger is very,

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volatile at times and can come out very

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accusatory,

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blaming, shaming, criticizing,

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and it's not uncommon.

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I'm not saying that's the best way to

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communicate, but

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those are

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emotions that are rising up, and that's how

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it's coming out. And so I'll see those

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two

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sides reflected, and it just depends on people's

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Mhmm. Background,

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upbringing,

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experience

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up to date.

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Some couples never were really good at communicating,

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and so this just makes it worse.

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Some

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maybe had communicating

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abilities, but

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now they're wondering,

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I thought we were doing so well. I

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thought we could communicate and talk about anything.

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What's up? Mhmm. And so they're shocked

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initially. So that's kinda what I see. I

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personally

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when I found out

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the totality of it, when it got to

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the the endpoint,

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I actually felt a lot of relief Mhmm.

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Because

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there was a lot of gaslighting. There was

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a lot of deception and hidden secrets,

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things done that I could sense but couldn't

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pinpoint.

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So though I was

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pissed, if I can say that.

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Right? I also felt at the same time

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relief because

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I knew.

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I knew there was something wrong, and so

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I had to find my way through all

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of that. And partners,

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they vary, and they're having to find their

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way out. And communicating

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is gonna be the way to do that.

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It's just in the beginning, there's so much

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pain and so much hurt. It's gonna be

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messy, and that's what I think

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both

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the husband or the betrayer and the one

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betrayed

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have to realize.

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It's it's not gonna be

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nice and easy, peasy, and clean.

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It comes with its own struggle.

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Yeah. It's a you know, the the I

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appreciate what you brought up about

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the partners all being different because,

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you know, what guys

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need to understand is when you introduce this

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to the relationship, you're not gonna get the

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same response as if you did this to

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another woman or a different woman or another

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wife or what you know, you're gonna get

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a very different response because of the story

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that they make up about it. You know,

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the ones that I hear that are most

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common

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are, oh, if I was just more attractive,

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he wouldn't have done this.

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Oh, he's bored. I'm bad in bed, and

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these other women are better in bed than

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I am.

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I'm too old. I'm too wrinkly. I

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he's not into my body anymore. I have

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gained too much weight.

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You know, the list goes on. It's all

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it's this, men are men are all pigs.

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Oh, I hate, you know, this this world

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is, you know, they're living with these new

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beliefs

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that our actions

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have now introduced to their world that weren't

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there. I mean, I remember, and you probably

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remember this, Danny, you know, there were so

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many times when my wife was mad,

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not at me, just mad that she now

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believes

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these stupid things that she doesn't wanna believe.

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And she was mad. She was so mad

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that she looked at guys and her first

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thought is, I wonder if he's a sex

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addict. Yeah. Rather than just letting him be

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a guy, right. You know, giving him the

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benefit of the doubt and assuming that he

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has a hidden deceptive sexual behaviors that he's

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hiding. Right?

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So I I I'm glad we kinda brought

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that up because I think if we're gonna

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go into this topic of communication, I think

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it's

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poorly informed

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to ignore who you're talking to. Because if

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you're talking to someone who they,

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a lot of them, you know, not all

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of them, but a lot of their parts

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believe that you wouldn't have done this if

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she was more attractive,

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right? If she was better in bed, if

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she had, you know, was ten pounds lighter,

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if she just had a couple surgeries to

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tighten things up, that this wouldn't have happened,

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that's her reality. Now, a lot of the

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guys will say, oh my gosh, this had

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nothing to do, this this has nothing to

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do with your physical appearance. But again, that's

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not her story, right? You know, you've gotta

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keep in mind, guys are sold, you know,

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successful men are sold, get money, get attractive

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women to like you, and that's a successful

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life. Women are sold,

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become the trophy to be that all men

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want. I mean, that is what these are

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the differences in the two messages. So what

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these guys have to understand is, well, we

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were groomed

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to become as successful and sophisticated and as

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good looking as possible to get as many

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men women to wanna be with us. They

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were groomed to get

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successful, attractive,

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desirable men to attract to them. So you

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can see this dynamic when you go and

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portray them,

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it's so personal.

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So let's get into the,

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communication aspect, but I want all the listeners

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to understand

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what we just talked about, that's the belief

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systems of these partners. So when she's, you

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know, calling, you know, calling you names and

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it's because

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she is potentially in one of these stuck

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places where

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she actually hates herself,

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not you. Does that make sense? And so

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that's, you know, and then same vice versa

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for the guy. Now she calls you a

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name or says, how can I trust you?

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And then you tell yourself a story about,

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oh, I can't believe I'm a guy that's

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wife doesn't trust. Like, these are all painful

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stories, Danny. And I think that's I mean,

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I don't think I know. That is why

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the communication is difficult is one party hears

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them being accused of being something that they

265
00:09:15,924 --> 00:09:17,924
don't wanna be, and the other party is

266
00:09:17,924 --> 00:09:20,164
being looped into something that they don't wanna

267
00:09:20,164 --> 00:09:22,884
be. It's a very tough dynamic. So let's

268
00:09:22,884 --> 00:09:24,804
spend the rest of our time today hashing

269
00:09:24,804 --> 00:09:27,309
out how couples can navigate this, because it

270
00:09:27,309 --> 00:09:27,809
is

271
00:09:28,189 --> 00:09:30,350
I'm glad we started where we started because

272
00:09:30,350 --> 00:09:32,509
I think everyone needs to appreciate this is

273
00:09:32,509 --> 00:09:35,089
this is this is like level 10.

274
00:09:35,549 --> 00:09:37,470
This is like level 10 out of 10

275
00:09:37,470 --> 00:09:39,169
self awareness, social awareness,

276
00:09:39,845 --> 00:09:42,184
couples therapy work we're talking about. I mean,

277
00:09:42,485 --> 00:09:44,245
this is not for an amateur. I mean,

278
00:09:44,245 --> 00:09:46,184
this is, you know, if

279
00:09:46,965 --> 00:09:49,045
you are married and you guys are recovering

280
00:09:49,045 --> 00:09:50,184
from this and you're not

281
00:09:50,725 --> 00:09:53,309
doing anything and everything you can to become

282
00:09:53,309 --> 00:09:56,129
masters of intimacy, relationships, communications,

283
00:09:56,590 --> 00:09:57,490
emotional intelligence,

284
00:09:57,950 --> 00:10:00,269
you better learn because it's gonna require that

285
00:10:00,269 --> 00:10:01,230
level of skill set.

286
00:10:01,870 --> 00:10:03,950
So let's dive into the communication aspect. Denny,

287
00:10:03,950 --> 00:10:05,389
where do you start? So like, let's say

288
00:10:05,389 --> 00:10:07,549
you have somebody, they're still either in the

289
00:10:07,549 --> 00:10:10,325
crisis phase or are kind of toward the

290
00:10:10,325 --> 00:10:11,784
tail end of the crisis phase.

291
00:10:12,325 --> 00:10:14,245
Oh my gosh, what advice can you give

292
00:10:14,245 --> 00:10:16,404
them? I mean, that phase is so brutal.

293
00:10:16,404 --> 00:10:18,164
Where where do you start with trying to

294
00:10:18,164 --> 00:10:20,964
introduce some peace in a very non peaceful

295
00:10:20,964 --> 00:10:21,464
time?

296
00:10:22,230 --> 00:10:24,790
So are you referring what I provide for

297
00:10:24,790 --> 00:10:27,269
the the Yeah. I mean, just yeah. For

298
00:10:27,269 --> 00:10:28,870
the wife well, both. I mean, what would

299
00:10:28,870 --> 00:10:29,910
you say? I mean, what would you say

300
00:10:30,070 --> 00:10:31,590
you can kinda separate it if it's easier.

301
00:10:31,590 --> 00:10:32,790
What would you say to the woman, and

302
00:10:32,790 --> 00:10:34,149
what would you what would you say to

303
00:10:34,149 --> 00:10:35,750
the betrayed, and what would you say to

304
00:10:35,750 --> 00:10:36,410
the cheater?

305
00:10:37,014 --> 00:10:37,834
Yeah. Well,

306
00:10:39,095 --> 00:10:41,735
the first phase has everything to do with

307
00:10:41,735 --> 00:10:43,434
feeling safe and secure,

308
00:10:44,134 --> 00:10:45,514
which you don't

309
00:10:46,134 --> 00:10:49,289
early on. And so everybody moves through that

310
00:10:49,289 --> 00:10:52,250
stage so differently, and and what I'm working

311
00:10:52,250 --> 00:10:54,649
with the partner is is being able to

312
00:10:54,649 --> 00:10:57,610
create some healthy boundaries, which are not barriers

313
00:10:57,610 --> 00:10:58,669
and they're not demands.

314
00:10:59,370 --> 00:11:01,449
That's a a first and a given because

315
00:11:01,449 --> 00:11:02,235
I think what

316
00:11:03,195 --> 00:11:05,054
some betrayers are faced with

317
00:11:05,514 --> 00:11:08,794
are what they're being told are boundaries, and

318
00:11:08,794 --> 00:11:11,274
they actually aren't. So I do a lot

319
00:11:11,274 --> 00:11:12,174
of work with

320
00:11:13,355 --> 00:11:14,495
the women on

321
00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,080
establishing what those boundaries look like because those

322
00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:20,559
boundaries are meant to keep us safe. It's

323
00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,879
like, if you continue to do x, y,

324
00:11:22,879 --> 00:11:24,899
and z, or if you don't do this,

325
00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:26,580
this is what I'm gonna do.

326
00:11:26,955 --> 00:11:28,014
And if we,

327
00:11:28,555 --> 00:11:30,715
as the women, are telling them you have

328
00:11:30,715 --> 00:11:32,254
to do x, y, and z,

329
00:11:32,634 --> 00:11:34,254
that is no longer a boundary.

330
00:11:34,715 --> 00:11:37,754
And so that is one issue that I

331
00:11:37,754 --> 00:11:40,254
like to address with the with the woman.

332
00:11:40,555 --> 00:11:41,535
But then also

333
00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,000
for the man, just for simplicity's sake because,

334
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,620
obviously, relationships vary,

335
00:11:49,399 --> 00:11:50,059
to listen

336
00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,639
to listen to what's underneath the words, both

337
00:11:53,639 --> 00:11:55,820
have to do that. What's actually

338
00:11:56,404 --> 00:11:58,745
what's actually mattering right now?

339
00:11:59,045 --> 00:12:00,965
Because it's never what we think it is.

340
00:12:00,965 --> 00:12:03,445
Mhmm. It's you know, the problem isn't what

341
00:12:03,445 --> 00:12:05,605
we think the problem is. And so either

342
00:12:05,605 --> 00:12:08,325
a need was not met in some form

343
00:12:08,325 --> 00:12:08,904
or fashion,

344
00:12:09,445 --> 00:12:09,945
and,

345
00:12:10,460 --> 00:12:11,759
ultimately, we're responsible

346
00:12:12,139 --> 00:12:14,399
for our own thoughts, feelings, and emotions,

347
00:12:14,940 --> 00:12:16,620
and it's up to me to have those

348
00:12:16,620 --> 00:12:19,040
needs met. And I can request

349
00:12:19,980 --> 00:12:20,960
the other person

350
00:12:21,500 --> 00:12:23,120
help to meet them,

351
00:12:24,315 --> 00:12:26,975
But because we're autonomous, we have choice.

352
00:12:27,514 --> 00:12:29,695
And so with a couple who's

353
00:12:30,154 --> 00:12:32,574
really wanting to rebuild and restore,

354
00:12:33,914 --> 00:12:35,375
there's a lot of attention

355
00:12:35,949 --> 00:12:38,190
given to, can I be kind in this

356
00:12:38,190 --> 00:12:41,490
moment when I feel like punching a wall

357
00:12:42,190 --> 00:12:44,990
or slapping the face? You know? It's like,

358
00:12:44,990 --> 00:12:47,089
how can I show up and and be

359
00:12:47,309 --> 00:12:49,250
present in this moment? Because,

360
00:12:49,629 --> 00:12:50,129
obviously,

361
00:12:51,125 --> 00:12:52,184
for the women,

362
00:12:53,284 --> 00:12:55,544
especially for ones that have gone through disclosure,

363
00:12:55,924 --> 00:12:56,664
you can't

364
00:12:57,205 --> 00:12:59,684
unknow a lot of those stories. And like

365
00:12:59,684 --> 00:13:01,764
you said, we have these stories. We have

366
00:13:01,764 --> 00:13:02,504
a narrative,

367
00:13:02,964 --> 00:13:04,024
and our narratives

368
00:13:04,325 --> 00:13:06,745
may be true and may not be true.

369
00:13:07,259 --> 00:13:07,759
So

370
00:13:08,220 --> 00:13:10,779
whoever is listening is to kinda get to

371
00:13:10,779 --> 00:13:12,860
the heart of the matter. Mhmm. I think

372
00:13:12,860 --> 00:13:14,560
that's what matters most.

373
00:13:14,940 --> 00:13:17,820
So that's kinda what I work with, like,

374
00:13:17,820 --> 00:13:20,320
at that beginning stages to really

375
00:13:21,424 --> 00:13:24,625
help them establish an environment of safety and

376
00:13:24,625 --> 00:13:26,324
security. And how do we do that?

377
00:13:26,625 --> 00:13:28,464
We have to talk about it. This is

378
00:13:28,464 --> 00:13:31,044
what helps me feel safe. Mhmm.

379
00:13:31,985 --> 00:13:33,924
Betrayer, husband, boyfriend,

380
00:13:34,464 --> 00:13:36,720
is this something you're able to help do?

381
00:13:36,959 --> 00:13:39,600
And if they're truly wanting to help the

382
00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:41,839
partner, then it would be, yes. I can

383
00:13:41,839 --> 00:13:44,480
do that. Or, no. I can't do that,

384
00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:46,579
but I can do this. Would that work?

385
00:13:46,639 --> 00:13:48,980
It's this open dialogue throughout.

386
00:13:49,355 --> 00:13:51,855
And so easier said than done,

387
00:13:52,235 --> 00:13:55,375
especially when we have heightened emotions. When we're

388
00:13:55,434 --> 00:13:55,934
unregulated,

389
00:13:57,034 --> 00:13:57,934
it's difficult

390
00:13:58,554 --> 00:14:01,355
to put into words what we really wanna

391
00:14:01,355 --> 00:14:01,855
say.

392
00:14:02,220 --> 00:14:04,879
And so that's where the patience comes in,

393
00:14:05,179 --> 00:14:07,360
is to continue to ask those questions,

394
00:14:08,539 --> 00:14:09,919
not from an accusatory

395
00:14:10,299 --> 00:14:13,019
way, not from a shaming way, but it's

396
00:14:13,019 --> 00:14:15,500
like you're really hurting right now. What would

397
00:14:15,500 --> 00:14:17,039
make this better? Mhmm.

398
00:14:17,595 --> 00:14:20,554
You know? Now wives will usually say, well,

399
00:14:20,554 --> 00:14:21,855
you should just know.

400
00:14:23,274 --> 00:14:24,495
Yeah. Right?

401
00:14:25,914 --> 00:14:28,014
And we were fed that

402
00:14:28,475 --> 00:14:31,115
that lie. Thank you, Disney, and all the

403
00:14:31,115 --> 00:14:33,629
other romance movies out there. And

404
00:14:34,169 --> 00:14:36,089
so we have to be able to know

405
00:14:36,089 --> 00:14:38,569
what we need and what we want and

406
00:14:38,569 --> 00:14:41,209
what will help us, and we wanna learn

407
00:14:41,209 --> 00:14:43,309
how to articulate that so that

408
00:14:44,970 --> 00:14:46,429
the the man can

409
00:14:46,809 --> 00:14:47,309
understand

410
00:14:48,524 --> 00:14:51,664
what is expected or desired or wanted,

411
00:14:52,125 --> 00:14:53,105
and vice versa.

412
00:14:53,644 --> 00:14:55,404
The husband, a lot of times, go like

413
00:14:55,404 --> 00:14:58,625
stone walls Mhmm. And gets really quiet,

414
00:14:59,565 --> 00:15:01,725
but that that's a that's a that's like

415
00:15:01,725 --> 00:15:02,784
a trauma response.

416
00:15:03,330 --> 00:15:05,490
And so what's it's like, I'm noticing you're

417
00:15:05,490 --> 00:15:06,309
shutting down.

418
00:15:07,410 --> 00:15:09,970
How do I keep this conversation going? What

419
00:15:09,970 --> 00:15:10,950
will make it,

420
00:15:11,649 --> 00:15:13,750
easier for you to stay engaged with me?

421
00:15:13,809 --> 00:15:15,509
Yeah. Well, you're and that's

422
00:15:15,845 --> 00:15:17,845
I you know, that I call kinda like

423
00:15:17,845 --> 00:15:20,504
phase two. Is that where you're going now,

424
00:15:21,445 --> 00:15:23,065
which we'll go there in a second.

425
00:15:23,445 --> 00:15:25,605
I just wanted to recap phase one. So

426
00:15:25,684 --> 00:15:27,539
because I agree with everything you said.

427
00:15:27,860 --> 00:15:31,480
The phase one really isn't about healthy communication

428
00:15:32,019 --> 00:15:33,799
as much as it's about boundaries

429
00:15:34,899 --> 00:15:35,639
and and

430
00:15:36,419 --> 00:15:38,579
and learning how to do that dance. So

431
00:15:38,579 --> 00:15:41,220
I'm gonna empathize with both sides. Right? So

432
00:15:41,220 --> 00:15:42,039
for the women,

433
00:15:43,995 --> 00:15:44,495
your

434
00:15:45,434 --> 00:15:47,434
your biggest thing is going to be understanding

435
00:15:47,434 --> 00:15:48,955
what a bound what a re what a

436
00:15:48,955 --> 00:15:50,875
boundary really is and what you can actually

437
00:15:50,875 --> 00:15:52,795
ask another human being to do. The you

438
00:15:52,795 --> 00:15:54,875
know, Mel Robbins just wrote this book, the

439
00:15:54,875 --> 00:15:57,035
let them theory. Right? And it's popular. It's

440
00:15:57,035 --> 00:15:58,909
all over social media. And,

441
00:16:00,250 --> 00:16:02,990
I usually I'm I'm a I'm a counterculture

442
00:16:03,209 --> 00:16:05,129
person, so if something gets popular, then I

443
00:16:05,129 --> 00:16:07,529
I there's this part of me that refuses

444
00:16:07,529 --> 00:16:09,449
to participate. But my wife bought it, and

445
00:16:09,449 --> 00:16:11,309
we listened to it in the car yesterday

446
00:16:11,370 --> 00:16:13,149
on our way to Phoenix. And,

447
00:16:14,434 --> 00:16:15,554
one of the things that you said was

448
00:16:15,554 --> 00:16:17,955
really interesting. When you tell she was this

449
00:16:17,955 --> 00:16:20,434
chapter about, you know, oh, your husband's overweight

450
00:16:20,434 --> 00:16:22,195
and you want him to get off the

451
00:16:22,195 --> 00:16:23,495
couch and lose some weight.

452
00:16:24,035 --> 00:16:27,175
And it was literally using Harvard based neuroscience

453
00:16:27,870 --> 00:16:30,269
that the more she tries to tell him

454
00:16:30,269 --> 00:16:32,509
what she wants him to do, there's bio

455
00:16:32,590 --> 00:16:34,269
and this isn't just your husband, this women

456
00:16:34,269 --> 00:16:36,129
do this too, that our biology

457
00:16:37,070 --> 00:16:39,549
is to not do it. We don't we

458
00:16:39,549 --> 00:16:41,570
we do not want to be told

459
00:16:42,105 --> 00:16:44,424
what to do. We want it to be

460
00:16:44,424 --> 00:16:47,164
our decision. Right? So I think phase one,

461
00:16:47,384 --> 00:16:49,384
you know, that's the challenge is, oh, I've

462
00:16:49,384 --> 00:16:51,625
been betrayed. Screw you. I'm gonna tell you

463
00:16:51,625 --> 00:16:53,304
what you know, I'm gonna I'm gonna leave

464
00:16:53,304 --> 00:16:54,664
you. I'm gonna take the kids. I'm gonna

465
00:16:54,664 --> 00:16:56,170
take all the money. You need to do

466
00:16:56,170 --> 00:16:57,870
as I say. That's not boundaries.

467
00:16:58,330 --> 00:17:01,129
Right? So boundaries, you know, doing that dance

468
00:17:01,129 --> 00:17:03,450
is tough because you've been you've been treated

469
00:17:03,450 --> 00:17:03,950
poorly

470
00:17:04,730 --> 00:17:06,090
in the worst way. I I think the

471
00:17:06,090 --> 00:17:07,529
worst way possible. I mean, I put it,

472
00:17:07,529 --> 00:17:09,755
you know, this sounds crazy to compare it

473
00:17:09,755 --> 00:17:11,515
to genocide, but I really do. I mean,

474
00:17:11,515 --> 00:17:14,315
I I think betraying your wife is one

475
00:17:14,315 --> 00:17:16,315
of the ugliest things that exists in this

476
00:17:16,315 --> 00:17:18,494
planet. I mean, it is just it violates

477
00:17:18,875 --> 00:17:21,429
so many things that should never be violated.

478
00:17:21,429 --> 00:17:23,909
It's so ugly. So I get that, but

479
00:17:23,909 --> 00:17:26,149
that is the challenge is understanding the difference

480
00:17:26,149 --> 00:17:29,589
between a realistic, healthy, human boundary with your

481
00:17:29,589 --> 00:17:31,369
husband who loves you, who you love,

482
00:17:32,069 --> 00:17:32,789
and a,

483
00:17:33,904 --> 00:17:34,404
demand

484
00:17:34,865 --> 00:17:36,544
that you just feel like you get to

485
00:17:36,544 --> 00:17:38,865
say. Right? Now I wanna emphasize empathize with

486
00:17:38,865 --> 00:17:40,644
the guys on this too because

487
00:17:41,105 --> 00:17:43,424
it's tough in this phase. Oh my gosh.

488
00:17:43,424 --> 00:17:44,804
You're being called names.

489
00:17:45,585 --> 00:17:46,964
You're being asked to do

490
00:17:47,265 --> 00:17:47,765
very

491
00:17:48,289 --> 00:17:50,210
humiliating things. I mean, I remember going to

492
00:17:50,210 --> 00:17:50,869
my first,

493
00:17:51,569 --> 00:17:52,470
like group

494
00:17:52,849 --> 00:17:54,609
with a bunch of sex addicts and, oh

495
00:17:54,609 --> 00:17:56,470
my gosh, I'd be just like mortified.

496
00:17:56,849 --> 00:17:58,690
Like, really? Like my life has come to

497
00:17:58,769 --> 00:18:00,769
I remember sitting in that room thinking, wow,

498
00:18:00,769 --> 00:18:02,845
my life has come to this point. I'm

499
00:18:02,845 --> 00:18:05,005
here sitting in a room with a bunch

500
00:18:05,005 --> 00:18:07,085
of guys who can't control our sexual behavior.

501
00:18:07,085 --> 00:18:09,505
Like I'm I'm one of these guys, right?

502
00:18:09,644 --> 00:18:12,224
So you're in this just horrible environment,

503
00:18:12,924 --> 00:18:15,005
and here you are having some pretty tough

504
00:18:15,005 --> 00:18:17,940
boundaries set sometime. You know? You're being told,

505
00:18:18,259 --> 00:18:19,779
you can't go to certain things that you

506
00:18:19,779 --> 00:18:21,779
used to go to. Maybe your work travel's

507
00:18:21,779 --> 00:18:22,519
being disrupted

508
00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:26,099
because of this, which is extremely, extremely common.

509
00:18:26,099 --> 00:18:28,515
It probably happens to most all men. But

510
00:18:28,515 --> 00:18:30,515
I I kinda wanna empathize with both parties

511
00:18:30,515 --> 00:18:31,734
in that first stages.

512
00:18:32,195 --> 00:18:33,174
The key really

513
00:18:34,355 --> 00:18:36,755
is learning how to do that dance while

514
00:18:36,755 --> 00:18:37,255
honoring

515
00:18:37,634 --> 00:18:40,674
while honoring humanity and and sound psychology. You

516
00:18:40,674 --> 00:18:42,674
don't just get to reach into your boundary

517
00:18:42,674 --> 00:18:44,909
bag and pull something out and ask him

518
00:18:44,909 --> 00:18:45,730
to do that.

519
00:18:46,669 --> 00:18:49,169
You can, but don't expect it to necessarily

520
00:18:49,230 --> 00:18:51,309
go well. We have to I think both

521
00:18:51,309 --> 00:18:54,109
parties have to figure out a healthy, sustainable

522
00:18:54,109 --> 00:18:55,549
way to do that dance. I mean, if

523
00:18:55,549 --> 00:18:56,990
if the goal is to stay married, you

524
00:18:56,990 --> 00:18:59,664
can't just pull boundaries out of your boundary

525
00:18:59,664 --> 00:19:01,345
bag and throw them at them and say,

526
00:19:01,345 --> 00:19:02,865
you need to do this because you cheated

527
00:19:02,865 --> 00:19:03,524
on me.

528
00:19:03,904 --> 00:19:05,904
But then vice versa, I think guys need

529
00:19:05,904 --> 00:19:06,404
to

530
00:19:07,345 --> 00:19:10,384
also understand that she has every right to

531
00:19:10,384 --> 00:19:10,884
say,

532
00:19:11,210 --> 00:19:13,130
I don't want you traveling for work because

533
00:19:13,130 --> 00:19:14,910
you've acted out on work travel.

534
00:19:15,369 --> 00:19:15,869
And,

535
00:19:16,809 --> 00:19:20,009
if you're gonna keep traveling, then, we might

536
00:19:20,009 --> 00:19:21,529
have to talk about this not working. I

537
00:19:21,529 --> 00:19:23,710
mean, and women have every right to say,

538
00:19:24,965 --> 00:19:26,965
I'd like to I'll say this. I'd love

539
00:19:26,965 --> 00:19:28,005
for you to speak to this because I

540
00:19:28,005 --> 00:19:30,164
think this quote was beautiful. Oh my gosh.

541
00:19:30,164 --> 00:19:32,325
Michelle said this. Michelle May said this. I

542
00:19:32,325 --> 00:19:33,465
loved it. She said

543
00:19:34,644 --> 00:19:36,184
somebody asked her when,

544
00:19:37,950 --> 00:19:39,789
somebody it was my wife, I think. My

545
00:19:39,789 --> 00:19:41,089
wife asked her when,

546
00:19:42,190 --> 00:19:44,849
to when we could add work travel back.

547
00:19:45,230 --> 00:19:45,730
And,

548
00:19:46,109 --> 00:19:47,470
because, you know, there's, you know, a lot

549
00:19:47,470 --> 00:19:48,669
of these guys are like, hey. When's this

550
00:19:48,669 --> 00:19:50,609
gonna happen? I loved her answer.

551
00:19:51,274 --> 00:19:53,774
When your nervous system can handle

552
00:19:54,154 --> 00:19:55,914
it. So, like, when he goes and you're

553
00:19:55,914 --> 00:19:58,634
not gonna, like, freak out, have panic like,

554
00:19:58,634 --> 00:20:01,115
you're calling him, checking it. You know? When

555
00:20:01,115 --> 00:20:02,875
you're in or when you can live a

556
00:20:02,875 --> 00:20:04,875
normal, healthy life while he is out of

557
00:20:04,875 --> 00:20:05,375
town

558
00:20:05,859 --> 00:20:07,779
and you can use your tools and not

559
00:20:07,940 --> 00:20:10,679
and and keep your mental health together,

560
00:20:10,980 --> 00:20:12,819
okay. Then then it's like, alright. Let's talk

561
00:20:12,819 --> 00:20:14,099
about how we can try to make this

562
00:20:14,099 --> 00:20:15,859
work. But I I like that measure because

563
00:20:15,859 --> 00:20:18,019
it's like, I don't think guys just have

564
00:20:18,019 --> 00:20:20,179
the right to go and violate all of

565
00:20:20,179 --> 00:20:22,214
these boundaries while she she can has to

566
00:20:22,214 --> 00:20:24,694
suffer worse and worse and worse. So before

567
00:20:24,694 --> 00:20:26,934
we go into phase two communication, anything you

568
00:20:26,934 --> 00:20:28,555
wanna say on some of that?

569
00:20:29,095 --> 00:20:31,015
Because I, you know, I liked that definition

570
00:20:31,015 --> 00:20:32,795
because, you know, guys need to understand

571
00:20:33,349 --> 00:20:35,430
nervous system and PTSD is a very real

572
00:20:35,430 --> 00:20:37,910
thing, and you can't just ask her to

573
00:20:37,910 --> 00:20:40,150
suffer because you wanna violate all of her

574
00:20:40,150 --> 00:20:40,650
boundaries.

575
00:20:41,269 --> 00:20:42,009
You know, that's

576
00:20:42,309 --> 00:20:44,309
I don't think that's also right either. So,

577
00:20:44,309 --> 00:20:45,670
you know, I didn't go I think it's

578
00:20:45,670 --> 00:20:46,490
a tough dance.

579
00:20:47,105 --> 00:20:48,644
Yeah, it is, it's a tough dance

580
00:20:49,025 --> 00:20:51,904
without question. I've seen every relationship has to

581
00:20:51,904 --> 00:20:54,144
struggle with this dance. Did I miss anything

582
00:20:54,144 --> 00:20:54,724
in that?

583
00:20:55,424 --> 00:20:57,585
No, I mean, it's just, I think for

584
00:20:57,585 --> 00:20:59,664
the one who's betrayed, it's like you've been

585
00:20:59,664 --> 00:21:00,164
untrustworthy.

586
00:21:01,230 --> 00:21:03,789
And then to now expect somebody to trust

587
00:21:03,789 --> 00:21:04,289
you,

588
00:21:04,750 --> 00:21:05,250
like,

589
00:21:05,549 --> 00:21:07,309
there needs to be a reality check there.

590
00:21:07,309 --> 00:21:07,809
And

591
00:21:09,869 --> 00:21:10,369
so,

592
00:21:10,750 --> 00:21:12,829
you know, the work environment one is a

593
00:21:12,829 --> 00:21:14,849
difficult one too, especially if there's traveling.

594
00:21:15,315 --> 00:21:17,174
At the same time, it's like,

595
00:21:17,554 --> 00:21:19,575
these were the choices that you made.

596
00:21:19,954 --> 00:21:22,534
Mhmm. And these are some of the consequences

597
00:21:23,474 --> 00:21:26,755
to that. And, yeah, it sucks. Yeah. It's

598
00:21:26,755 --> 00:21:27,255
hard.

599
00:21:27,714 --> 00:21:31,230
And it now sucks for me Yeah. Knowing

600
00:21:31,450 --> 00:21:33,390
when you were away, you were

601
00:21:34,009 --> 00:21:35,630
doing whatever you were doing,

602
00:21:36,090 --> 00:21:38,170
and it wasn't with me. And you were

603
00:21:38,170 --> 00:21:40,330
having lunch with other people and talking with

604
00:21:40,330 --> 00:21:42,809
other women and sleeping with other women and

605
00:21:42,809 --> 00:21:45,214
doing other things that are not mentionable.

606
00:21:45,994 --> 00:21:47,615
And so that's where

607
00:21:48,474 --> 00:21:50,154
it's it's interesting to me where

608
00:21:51,115 --> 00:21:53,434
and, see, early on too, we're also we're

609
00:21:53,434 --> 00:21:55,375
we're dealing with sobriety and recovery.

610
00:21:55,835 --> 00:21:57,355
So a lot of times, like and they're

611
00:21:57,355 --> 00:21:58,015
too different.

612
00:21:58,690 --> 00:22:00,769
Right? So sobriety is just trying to stop

613
00:22:00,769 --> 00:22:03,009
the behavior, but we're not dealing with the

614
00:22:03,009 --> 00:22:05,970
underlying current, like, you know, the issue underneath

615
00:22:05,970 --> 00:22:08,849
it. So it it is gonna feel very

616
00:22:08,849 --> 00:22:09,349
restrictive,

617
00:22:10,049 --> 00:22:11,349
I believe, in the beginning.

618
00:22:11,890 --> 00:22:12,390
And,

619
00:22:13,085 --> 00:22:14,285
I mean, that's just kind of par for

620
00:22:14,285 --> 00:22:15,644
the quote. I was gonna say, what you're

621
00:22:15,644 --> 00:22:17,244
gonna do? Like, you know, that because that

622
00:22:17,244 --> 00:22:18,525
that and that and you said it so

623
00:22:18,525 --> 00:22:20,285
well, and that's what guys need to remember

624
00:22:20,285 --> 00:22:20,785
is,

625
00:22:21,164 --> 00:22:21,664
like,

626
00:22:22,125 --> 00:22:22,625
you

627
00:22:23,644 --> 00:22:24,704
you aren't trustworthy.

628
00:22:25,005 --> 00:22:27,644
You know? If you those of you that

629
00:22:27,644 --> 00:22:30,419
have teenage children, you know, it's it's a

630
00:22:30,419 --> 00:22:33,220
really similar dynamic. I love you. I don't

631
00:22:33,220 --> 00:22:33,940
trust you.

632
00:22:34,259 --> 00:22:36,339
You sneak out. You go places that you're

633
00:22:36,339 --> 00:22:37,859
not you know? And it it it's this

634
00:22:37,859 --> 00:22:40,200
really challenging environment of, like, I love you

635
00:22:40,339 --> 00:22:42,224
so much, but I I just I don't

636
00:22:42,224 --> 00:22:43,984
believe a word out of your mouth because

637
00:22:43,984 --> 00:22:46,625
you've lied to your mom and I over

638
00:22:46,625 --> 00:22:48,065
and over and over and over and over

639
00:22:48,065 --> 00:22:49,744
so that I I have to spy on

640
00:22:49,744 --> 00:22:51,904
you. You've you've done this to yourself. And

641
00:22:51,904 --> 00:22:53,664
so I try to remind, you know, try

642
00:22:53,664 --> 00:22:56,289
to try to remind these guys that's what

643
00:22:56,289 --> 00:22:58,210
we're dealing with. It's has nothing to do

644
00:22:58,210 --> 00:23:00,369
with them loving you or not loving you

645
00:23:00,369 --> 00:23:02,690
or thinking less of you. It's just it's

646
00:23:02,690 --> 00:23:05,410
similar to, to raising a teenager who has

647
00:23:05,410 --> 00:23:08,450
repetitively lied about their whereabouts and what they're

648
00:23:08,450 --> 00:23:10,875
doing. You have to spy on them because

649
00:23:10,875 --> 00:23:12,634
they have just proven time and time again

650
00:23:12,634 --> 00:23:14,894
that they don't tell you the truth. And

651
00:23:15,355 --> 00:23:17,355
it's just it is. It's a hard I'll

652
00:23:17,355 --> 00:23:18,714
I'll speak to it because I can't. You

653
00:23:18,714 --> 00:23:20,174
know, work travel was

654
00:23:20,474 --> 00:23:22,015
you know, I'm a keynote speaker.

655
00:23:22,399 --> 00:23:24,000
Like, that's what I that's that was part

656
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,099
of my and I couldn't do my job.

657
00:23:26,399 --> 00:23:28,319
So can you you know, I empathize with

658
00:23:28,319 --> 00:23:30,319
you guys, but I'm just gonna say, I'm

659
00:23:30,319 --> 00:23:32,240
on your wife's side. I mean, if if

660
00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,059
I was doing those things on those trips,

661
00:23:35,474 --> 00:23:38,115
you guys have gotta understand she has the

662
00:23:38,115 --> 00:23:39,015
right to say,

663
00:23:39,795 --> 00:23:42,115
well, if we're gonna stay together, you that

664
00:23:42,115 --> 00:23:43,875
ain't happening. Not not at least not at

665
00:23:43,875 --> 00:23:45,795
least for now. Right? And she has that

666
00:23:45,795 --> 00:23:47,075
right. And then I think what you guys

667
00:23:47,075 --> 00:23:48,700
have to understand is you also have the

668
00:23:48,700 --> 00:23:50,299
right to leave. You don't have to stay

669
00:23:50,299 --> 00:23:51,900
with her. You know, if you wanna if

670
00:23:51,900 --> 00:23:54,720
you wanna pick work and your works travel

671
00:23:54,860 --> 00:23:55,759
over your wife,

672
00:23:56,539 --> 00:23:58,559
then then that's okay. You can do that.

673
00:23:58,700 --> 00:23:59,900
Yeah. You can just tell them and say,

674
00:23:59,900 --> 00:24:01,505
hey. Yep. Exactly.

675
00:24:01,964 --> 00:24:04,525
Mhmm. The ability to choose, which usually when

676
00:24:04,525 --> 00:24:05,025
you're

677
00:24:05,644 --> 00:24:07,644
in this type of environment, you're not wanting

678
00:24:07,644 --> 00:24:09,964
to make big, huge choices like, I'm done.

679
00:24:09,964 --> 00:24:11,025
I'm over because,

680
00:24:11,964 --> 00:24:13,904
you know, you're you're in a reality.

681
00:24:14,205 --> 00:24:15,644
Lot changes in a year and a half

682
00:24:15,894 --> 00:24:16,394
Yeah.

683
00:24:16,789 --> 00:24:18,390
Through all of that. But Oh, yeah. I

684
00:24:18,390 --> 00:24:20,789
always tell everybody divorcing inside of that first

685
00:24:20,789 --> 00:24:22,309
year and a half is a mistake. I

686
00:24:22,309 --> 00:24:25,289
just you're not it's so far from reality

687
00:24:25,429 --> 00:24:27,429
that, you know, I don't recommend couples do

688
00:24:27,429 --> 00:24:30,044
that. Yeah. But it but it's gonna take

689
00:24:30,044 --> 00:24:31,804
time, and it's gonna take a lot of

690
00:24:31,804 --> 00:24:32,304
patience.

691
00:24:32,924 --> 00:24:35,184
For the one who continues to

692
00:24:35,484 --> 00:24:36,304
act out,

693
00:24:36,765 --> 00:24:38,365
I mean, that's a whole different deal. And

694
00:24:38,365 --> 00:24:39,804
I know no one in that book says

695
00:24:39,804 --> 00:24:42,204
there's a difference between, like, teenagers because, like,

696
00:24:42,204 --> 00:24:44,410
we're fully responsible for them. But with another

697
00:24:44,410 --> 00:24:44,910
adult,

698
00:24:46,009 --> 00:24:48,910
it's a different ballgame. Correct. And so, again,

699
00:24:49,289 --> 00:24:51,289
we would be speaking to our own core

700
00:24:51,289 --> 00:24:53,849
values. I have a need for honesty. That's

701
00:24:53,849 --> 00:24:55,070
one of my core values.

702
00:24:56,170 --> 00:24:56,990
Being trustworthy,

703
00:24:58,734 --> 00:24:59,794
you know, authentic.

704
00:25:00,174 --> 00:25:01,774
All of those things are important to me.

705
00:25:01,774 --> 00:25:03,934
And when somebody kind of, like, bumps up

706
00:25:03,934 --> 00:25:05,474
against that and

707
00:25:05,855 --> 00:25:08,894
their behavior is showing me other than what

708
00:25:08,894 --> 00:25:10,034
they said initially,

709
00:25:10,494 --> 00:25:12,174
it's like I have to deal with that.

710
00:25:12,174 --> 00:25:12,869
It's like,

711
00:25:13,430 --> 00:25:15,289
is that okay with me? And if not,

712
00:25:15,750 --> 00:25:17,509
what are we gonna need to do here?

713
00:25:17,509 --> 00:25:19,910
And it may mean not traveling. It's like

714
00:25:19,910 --> 00:25:22,230
you might need to travel local. You might

715
00:25:22,230 --> 00:25:24,250
need to speak more in your neighborhood,

716
00:25:24,710 --> 00:25:26,950
and maybe the wife comes along if that's

717
00:25:26,950 --> 00:25:27,450
feasible.

718
00:25:27,875 --> 00:25:29,475
You know, if there's kids around, that doesn't

719
00:25:29,475 --> 00:25:32,994
necessarily work. But there's always strategies around things.

720
00:25:32,994 --> 00:25:34,835
If both people really want this to work,

721
00:25:34,835 --> 00:25:36,595
you'll find ways to work. Yeah. You will

722
00:25:36,914 --> 00:25:38,434
yeah. It's a and that's what I said.

723
00:25:38,434 --> 00:25:40,835
It's a difficult dance. And, you know, Danny

724
00:25:40,835 --> 00:25:42,830
and I are not claiming this is an

725
00:25:42,830 --> 00:25:45,549
easy dance. It's difficult. I know people who've

726
00:25:45,549 --> 00:25:47,170
changed, who have had to change careers.

727
00:25:47,549 --> 00:25:49,549
You know, there's a lot of firefighters and

728
00:25:49,549 --> 00:25:52,509
pilots out there who their work their work

729
00:25:52,509 --> 00:25:53,570
schedule is

730
00:25:54,544 --> 00:25:56,964
just time and time again proves to be,

731
00:25:57,664 --> 00:26:00,005
disruptive. And so I've seen people walk away

732
00:26:00,144 --> 00:26:00,644
from

733
00:26:01,025 --> 00:26:03,265
retirement packages that were, like, I mean, it's

734
00:26:03,265 --> 00:26:05,505
just, you know, there's always, you know, it's

735
00:26:05,505 --> 00:26:07,079
just it's not a fun dance.

736
00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:09,399
And I and I to your point, I

737
00:26:09,399 --> 00:26:09,899
empathize

738
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:11,640
with the guys who are walking away from

739
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:13,480
a career they've worked their whole lives for.

740
00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:15,579
I I I feel that and that sucks.

741
00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:18,279
But at the same time, you know, you

742
00:26:18,279 --> 00:26:20,534
gotta come down, you know, here's the tie

743
00:26:20,534 --> 00:26:22,934
breaker for me very often is I go

744
00:26:22,934 --> 00:26:23,754
back to

745
00:26:24,774 --> 00:26:26,075
why is this happening

746
00:26:26,534 --> 00:26:28,934
Right. Because of me. Address. And so I

747
00:26:28,934 --> 00:26:30,534
think that's what we always have to come

748
00:26:30,534 --> 00:26:32,534
back for is, did she have a problem

749
00:26:32,534 --> 00:26:34,375
with your work travel before she found out

750
00:26:34,375 --> 00:26:36,430
that you were cheating on her? Right? Like

751
00:26:36,430 --> 00:26:37,789
that's the thing is, I mean, this is

752
00:26:37,789 --> 00:26:40,029
only happening because of what you did. And

753
00:26:40,029 --> 00:26:41,390
and so, yeah, you have to you have

754
00:26:41,390 --> 00:26:42,990
to make a judgment call there when you

755
00:26:42,990 --> 00:26:44,990
guys are just got discovering the boundaries. But

756
00:26:44,990 --> 00:26:46,529
I would, I would ask both parties.

757
00:26:46,910 --> 00:26:48,830
I would ask the women to honor humanity.

758
00:26:48,830 --> 00:26:50,664
Just just remember, you're asking a human being

759
00:26:50,664 --> 00:26:52,284
with hopes and dreams and aspirations

760
00:26:52,984 --> 00:26:54,585
to do these things. And so I'd ask

761
00:26:54,585 --> 00:26:56,024
the ladies, I get it, I get what

762
00:26:56,024 --> 00:26:57,244
they did, it's horrific.

763
00:26:57,784 --> 00:26:59,384
But keep in mind, you know, we gotta

764
00:26:59,544 --> 00:27:00,524
we can't dehumanize

765
00:27:00,825 --> 00:27:03,299
this other individual too much because then we'll

766
00:27:03,299 --> 00:27:05,700
run into capacity issues in the in the

767
00:27:05,700 --> 00:27:07,380
future. You know, guys, there is a very

768
00:27:07,380 --> 00:27:09,079
real wall that they will hit

769
00:27:09,460 --> 00:27:11,299
at that year and a half to year

770
00:27:11,299 --> 00:27:12,279
mark where,

771
00:27:13,059 --> 00:27:14,659
you know, at a certain point, they start

772
00:27:14,659 --> 00:27:16,545
to ask themselves, like, ugh. Like,

773
00:27:17,184 --> 00:27:18,465
is this gonna be the rest of my

774
00:27:18,465 --> 00:27:20,065
life? Like, I'm not sure if I want

775
00:27:20,065 --> 00:27:22,144
this. So I think both partners, we just

776
00:27:22,144 --> 00:27:24,305
need to we need to do that dance

777
00:27:24,305 --> 00:27:25,365
carefully, and,

778
00:27:25,825 --> 00:27:27,345
neither one of you get to have it

779
00:27:27,345 --> 00:27:29,664
your way. You have to put it out

780
00:27:29,664 --> 00:27:31,549
there and and love each other. I mean,

781
00:27:31,549 --> 00:27:33,549
this isn't a fight. This is about how

782
00:27:33,549 --> 00:27:35,630
do I feel the feelings that I wanna

783
00:27:35,630 --> 00:27:37,070
feel. And the woman wants to feel safe,

784
00:27:37,070 --> 00:27:38,589
and the guy wants to still be able

785
00:27:38,589 --> 00:27:39,089
to,

786
00:27:39,630 --> 00:27:40,990
do his work and the things that he

787
00:27:40,990 --> 00:27:42,029
loves to do. So what do we do

788
00:27:42,029 --> 00:27:43,875
about that? You know? And and, it's it's

789
00:27:43,875 --> 00:27:45,955
a dance, and there's gonna be winners and

790
00:27:45,955 --> 00:27:48,035
losers. I mean, that's the unfortunate part, and

791
00:27:48,035 --> 00:27:49,095
that's not the intention

792
00:27:49,475 --> 00:27:50,134
of boundaries.

793
00:27:50,595 --> 00:27:52,595
The intention is just to try to find

794
00:27:52,595 --> 00:27:54,995
some degree of a happy medium here. And,

795
00:27:54,995 --> 00:27:56,890
you know, to your point, Danny, she is

796
00:27:56,890 --> 00:27:58,650
gonna need the edge in some of these

797
00:27:58,650 --> 00:27:59,809
areas. I mean, it's

798
00:28:00,250 --> 00:28:02,490
so many guys try to advocate for some

799
00:28:02,490 --> 00:28:05,150
really scary things really early. And,

800
00:28:06,490 --> 00:28:08,089
you know, got what I'd say to the

801
00:28:08,089 --> 00:28:10,410
guys in that situation is careful with her

802
00:28:10,410 --> 00:28:12,105
nervous system. I mean, she's she's at her

803
00:28:12,105 --> 00:28:13,704
limit here. So let's just,

804
00:28:14,105 --> 00:28:16,184
let's ask for let's ask for as little

805
00:28:16,184 --> 00:28:17,704
as we need to ask for from her

806
00:28:17,704 --> 00:28:20,424
because she's she's really she's redlining at this

807
00:28:20,424 --> 00:28:22,204
point. I mean, when they find this out,

808
00:28:22,825 --> 00:28:25,359
guys, I mean, we'll never know the pain,

809
00:28:25,419 --> 00:28:27,019
you know, and so we gotta be careful

810
00:28:27,019 --> 00:28:28,859
there. So let's talk base Well, it's gonna

811
00:28:28,859 --> 00:28:30,380
ask you. I'm just kinda curious. So, like,

812
00:28:30,380 --> 00:28:32,059
what kind of things would they be asking

813
00:28:32,059 --> 00:28:34,460
of the partner? So my guys so the

814
00:28:34,539 --> 00:28:36,139
a lot of the guys listening to my

815
00:28:36,139 --> 00:28:36,539
show,

816
00:28:36,940 --> 00:28:39,025
and in my groups, they're they're I mean,

817
00:28:39,025 --> 00:28:41,845
work travel is a thing for sure.

818
00:28:42,464 --> 00:28:44,065
And even if it's not a huge thing,

819
00:28:44,065 --> 00:28:46,464
it's always some dynamic. Right? And if it's

820
00:28:46,464 --> 00:28:48,164
not work travel, sometimes it's

821
00:28:48,545 --> 00:28:51,184
socializing. You know, the thing when you climb

822
00:28:51,184 --> 00:28:53,424
the ladder and work and really start getting

823
00:28:53,424 --> 00:28:55,900
into, like, the inner workings of making money,

824
00:28:55,900 --> 00:28:58,930
it's a lot of relationships. That's where a

825
00:28:58,930 --> 00:29:01,624
lot of money is. So a lot of

826
00:29:01,624 --> 00:29:04,317
the guys in my groups, there is a

827
00:29:04,317 --> 00:29:07,011
lot of relationship building. And so that's very

828
00:29:07,011 --> 00:29:09,704
unsettling for the partner sometimes when it's like,

829
00:29:10,105 --> 00:29:11,184
you know, I mean, there's a lot of

830
00:29:11,224 --> 00:29:13,244
like, my some of my highest paid clients

831
00:29:13,304 --> 00:29:15,625
in my program, the wealthiest guys in my

832
00:29:15,625 --> 00:29:16,125
program,

833
00:29:16,505 --> 00:29:18,444
their whole job is just to

834
00:29:18,904 --> 00:29:20,365
kiss ass, make friends,

835
00:29:20,825 --> 00:29:22,505
go out to dinner, golf with people. I

836
00:29:22,505 --> 00:29:25,319
mean, that's their whole life and business is

837
00:29:25,380 --> 00:29:26,599
making relationships.

838
00:29:27,539 --> 00:29:29,640
That's this the entire essence of the business.

839
00:29:29,700 --> 00:29:31,859
And so a lot of what they're asking

840
00:29:31,859 --> 00:29:33,380
is tough. I mean, it's a lot of

841
00:29:33,380 --> 00:29:36,099
travel. It's a lot of entertaining. There's women

842
00:29:36,099 --> 00:29:38,259
around quite often and a lot of that

843
00:29:38,259 --> 00:29:40,714
entertaining. And so, you know, it's just you're

844
00:29:40,714 --> 00:29:43,835
you're really asking for a very tough situation

845
00:29:43,835 --> 00:29:45,755
for her nervous system. It's really tough. And

846
00:29:45,755 --> 00:29:47,674
so I I think I I think that's

847
00:29:47,674 --> 00:29:48,734
all I meant was,

848
00:29:49,115 --> 00:29:51,595
you know, honor what you're asking. Because I

849
00:29:51,595 --> 00:29:53,595
mean, you're you're really you're asking her to

850
00:29:53,595 --> 00:29:55,210
struggle. I mean, that's really what you're asking

851
00:29:55,210 --> 00:29:56,029
her to do.

852
00:29:56,890 --> 00:29:58,650
Yeah. And I think, you know, those kinds

853
00:29:58,650 --> 00:30:01,130
of jobs you can do with integrity and

854
00:30:01,130 --> 00:30:03,450
character. It's a choice. Correct. But if you've

855
00:30:03,450 --> 00:30:05,769
got these underlying issues that have never been

856
00:30:05,769 --> 00:30:07,394
addressed, you don't know that.

857
00:30:07,795 --> 00:30:10,195
And so, you know, sometimes if you say

858
00:30:10,195 --> 00:30:11,714
you have a high price to pay and

859
00:30:11,714 --> 00:30:14,134
it might mean changing a job for firefighters

860
00:30:14,195 --> 00:30:15,734
and police. It's like

861
00:30:16,195 --> 00:30:18,595
the stress of just being the cop or

862
00:30:18,595 --> 00:30:19,335
the firefighter,

863
00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,240
is it worth you losing your soul and

864
00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:24,640
your family over it? Right. And so, yeah,

865
00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:26,820
the money's good, at what cost?

866
00:30:27,279 --> 00:30:29,299
You know? And same with the executive

867
00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:31,779
people as well. It's like,

868
00:30:32,735 --> 00:30:34,414
can you make the shifts? Can you do

869
00:30:34,414 --> 00:30:36,095
the work to be able to do what

870
00:30:36,095 --> 00:30:37,715
you love with integrity?

871
00:30:38,255 --> 00:30:40,654
And that doesn't change overnight, especially if you've

872
00:30:40,654 --> 00:30:43,134
had these compulsive behaviors and you're not sure

873
00:30:43,134 --> 00:30:45,055
why. Like, all that stuff has to get

874
00:30:45,055 --> 00:30:47,830
dealt with. And for the wife, it's like,

875
00:30:48,610 --> 00:30:50,450
I think just I would say to her,

876
00:30:50,450 --> 00:30:52,690
just be honest. Keep it real. Keep it

877
00:30:52,690 --> 00:30:55,650
about you. If you're feeling afraid, what are

878
00:30:55,650 --> 00:30:57,750
you afraid of? What's your worst case scenario?

879
00:30:58,289 --> 00:30:59,970
What do you need to feel safe right

880
00:30:59,970 --> 00:31:02,684
now? What's your ask, or what's what can

881
00:31:02,684 --> 00:31:04,144
you guys as a we

882
00:31:04,525 --> 00:31:07,164
figure out how to do? Early on, this

883
00:31:07,164 --> 00:31:09,404
is difficult, which is why you probably need

884
00:31:09,404 --> 00:31:12,464
other professionals to walk alongside you because emotions

885
00:31:12,605 --> 00:31:13,005
can get

886
00:31:13,609 --> 00:31:14,670
they can run awry.

887
00:31:15,049 --> 00:31:17,210
You know? And once one starts to go

888
00:31:17,210 --> 00:31:19,049
off, it triggers the other person because of

889
00:31:19,049 --> 00:31:21,849
mirroring. Mhmm. Right? And so, you know, we

890
00:31:21,849 --> 00:31:22,349
need

891
00:31:22,809 --> 00:31:25,210
to have at least one person that's able

892
00:31:25,210 --> 00:31:26,730
to keep their feet on the ground, but

893
00:31:26,730 --> 00:31:29,535
that's not always possible. Yeah. It's it's not.

894
00:31:29,835 --> 00:31:31,755
And I think before we go into kind

895
00:31:31,755 --> 00:31:33,515
of phase two communication, the last thing I'd

896
00:31:33,515 --> 00:31:34,494
say there is just,

897
00:31:35,195 --> 00:31:36,955
guys, you gotta understand there's not a whole

898
00:31:36,955 --> 00:31:37,855
lot of rational

899
00:31:38,475 --> 00:31:39,994
thought that's going on.

900
00:31:40,795 --> 00:31:43,365
When they're this activated and this traumatized,

901
00:31:45,490 --> 00:31:46,390
you might say,

902
00:31:46,930 --> 00:31:48,930
hey. Honey, how could anything happen? I have

903
00:31:48,930 --> 00:31:50,630
this here. I have this. You have

904
00:31:50,930 --> 00:31:52,529
access to this and this and this. There's

905
00:31:52,529 --> 00:31:54,150
no way I could cheat on you.

906
00:31:56,225 --> 00:31:57,365
That's not necessarily

907
00:31:57,664 --> 00:32:00,305
where the the these partners are at. There's

908
00:32:00,305 --> 00:32:01,684
not a whole lot of rational

909
00:32:02,065 --> 00:32:04,705
thought. It's just you're gone. I don't care.

910
00:32:04,705 --> 00:32:06,625
Like, you're gone. You hid this from me

911
00:32:06,625 --> 00:32:08,065
for all these years. I'm sure if you

912
00:32:08,065 --> 00:32:09,904
really wanted to, you would find you would

913
00:32:09,904 --> 00:32:11,859
find a way. You'd leave your phone somewhere.

914
00:32:11,859 --> 00:32:12,359
You'd

915
00:32:12,660 --> 00:32:14,500
say this, then then go do like, that's

916
00:32:14,500 --> 00:32:15,619
the thing is, like, they're

917
00:32:16,500 --> 00:32:18,980
you're gonna logic their way into this trauma,

918
00:32:18,980 --> 00:32:19,460
and,

919
00:32:19,779 --> 00:32:21,380
there's just not a lot of logic in

920
00:32:21,380 --> 00:32:22,900
that. And so that's why I'd say as

921
00:32:22,900 --> 00:32:25,240
guys, like, just just keep in mind

922
00:32:26,534 --> 00:32:28,294
they and they know too. My wife always

923
00:32:28,294 --> 00:32:29,815
told me, she's like, I'm acting like a

924
00:32:29,815 --> 00:32:32,375
crazy person. She knew, but that didn't change

925
00:32:32,375 --> 00:32:34,494
her ability to stop acting crazy. I mean,

926
00:32:34,494 --> 00:32:36,214
it was it's, you know, trauma is not

927
00:32:36,214 --> 00:32:38,214
in her control. So let's talk about phase

928
00:32:38,214 --> 00:32:40,799
two. So phase two, the way I define

929
00:32:40,799 --> 00:32:42,659
it, Danny, and maybe you define it different.

930
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:44,179
So phase one,

931
00:32:44,559 --> 00:32:46,240
you guys don't have a relationship. I mean,

932
00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,500
phase one, she's really in this, like,

933
00:32:49,279 --> 00:32:51,039
one foot in, one foot out. Do I

934
00:32:51,039 --> 00:32:53,519
wanna be with this guy at all? Do

935
00:32:53,519 --> 00:32:55,555
I trust him to actually recover? I mean,

936
00:32:55,555 --> 00:32:57,795
phase one's yucky. I mean, that's the reason

937
00:32:57,795 --> 00:32:59,315
she can call you all the names that

938
00:32:59,315 --> 00:33:01,394
she's probably gonna call you is, you know,

939
00:33:01,394 --> 00:33:03,315
to her, like, you're not in a relationship

940
00:33:03,315 --> 00:33:05,555
because you violated your vows. You did things

941
00:33:05,555 --> 00:33:07,075
that you were never supposed to do. You

942
00:33:07,075 --> 00:33:10,195
hurt her worse than anyone probably will ever

943
00:33:10,195 --> 00:33:11,950
hurt her. Right? So you gotta underappreciate

944
00:33:12,570 --> 00:33:13,390
phase one.

945
00:33:13,690 --> 00:33:15,410
I mean, it really is like, gosh. Do

946
00:33:15,410 --> 00:33:17,049
I even wanna do I even wanna be

947
00:33:17,049 --> 00:33:18,330
with a guy like this? Right? And you

948
00:33:18,330 --> 00:33:19,470
can and you can appreciate

949
00:33:19,930 --> 00:33:20,750
you can appreciate

950
00:33:21,049 --> 00:33:23,554
them wrestling with that, especially with to your

951
00:33:23,554 --> 00:33:25,634
point, Danny, like you said, the fairy tale

952
00:33:25,634 --> 00:33:27,095
that's sold to them about

953
00:33:27,554 --> 00:33:29,634
how life's gonna go on the Disney movies

954
00:33:29,634 --> 00:33:31,714
and the notebook and the you know, it's

955
00:33:31,714 --> 00:33:34,515
just people have trauma childhood trauma and different

956
00:33:34,515 --> 00:33:36,595
things that go on in their lives, and

957
00:33:36,595 --> 00:33:38,355
life's just hard. And so it's not like

958
00:33:38,355 --> 00:33:40,160
that. So, you know, she's struggling

959
00:33:41,019 --> 00:33:44,059
with her life not being that way. I

960
00:33:44,059 --> 00:33:45,660
mean, it's just it's tough. She always wanted

961
00:33:45,660 --> 00:33:47,180
it that way. Likely, if you're a high

962
00:33:47,180 --> 00:33:49,259
achiever entrepreneur, she actually thought you were gonna

963
00:33:49,259 --> 00:33:51,200
be the one who could get the closest

964
00:33:51,340 --> 00:33:53,180
to the perfect life, and then here you

965
00:33:53,180 --> 00:33:55,174
were, and it ended up being the complete

966
00:33:55,174 --> 00:33:56,934
opposite. She's probably like, oh my gosh, I

967
00:33:56,934 --> 00:33:58,855
wish I got with that, you know, that

968
00:33:58,855 --> 00:34:00,535
other guy, like at least he wouldn't have

969
00:34:00,535 --> 00:34:02,775
cheated on me. Right? So so phase two

970
00:34:02,775 --> 00:34:04,695
is different, right? So phase two, I I

971
00:34:04,695 --> 00:34:07,255
would I define it as things are far

972
00:34:07,255 --> 00:34:08,075
from resolved.

973
00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:10,719
I would just say phase two kicks in

974
00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:12,559
if you're lucky a year, and that's if

975
00:34:12,559 --> 00:34:14,159
the guy did everything right, which they never

976
00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:17,199
do. So so usually phase two starts, I

977
00:34:17,199 --> 00:34:18,719
usually say it right around that like year

978
00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:20,559
and a half mark, you know, somewhere between

979
00:34:20,559 --> 00:34:21,539
month month,

980
00:34:21,844 --> 00:34:23,464
you know, thirteen, fifteen,

981
00:34:24,164 --> 00:34:24,644
and,

982
00:34:25,284 --> 00:34:26,424
and month 20,

983
00:34:27,045 --> 00:34:29,045
where it's like, okay. You know what? I'm

984
00:34:29,045 --> 00:34:30,964
gonna I'm gonna commit to this. I I

985
00:34:30,964 --> 00:34:32,565
wanna be with him. I think I think

986
00:34:32,565 --> 00:34:34,484
he can actually change. I think he knows

987
00:34:34,484 --> 00:34:36,244
I think he knows why this happens, and

988
00:34:36,244 --> 00:34:37,699
I I I think we're on the same

989
00:34:37,699 --> 00:34:39,699
page. I think he I really do think

990
00:34:39,699 --> 00:34:41,940
that he wishes that he could undo this.

991
00:34:41,940 --> 00:34:43,619
And I I believe him that he doesn't

992
00:34:43,619 --> 00:34:45,219
want any of this to ever happen again.

993
00:34:45,219 --> 00:34:47,539
So that's kinda how I call phase two

994
00:34:47,539 --> 00:34:49,545
is it's like, alright. I'll give this a

995
00:34:49,545 --> 00:34:51,945
shot. Now you're a couple again. So that's

996
00:34:51,945 --> 00:34:53,964
kinda cool because it opens the doors

997
00:34:54,984 --> 00:34:56,905
to communications. Now I don't know what your

998
00:34:56,905 --> 00:34:59,224
experience was, Danny. Oh my gosh. Mine or

999
00:34:59,224 --> 00:35:00,284
what you've seen with clients.

1000
00:35:00,664 --> 00:35:02,664
Phase two is and I know guys don't

1001
00:35:02,664 --> 00:35:03,480
wanna hear this because

1002
00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:05,654
there's a lot of guys listening who are

1003
00:35:05,654 --> 00:35:07,320
in phase one. Phase two for me, Danny,

1004
00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:09,400
was just as hard if not harder than

1005
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,239
than phase one. I think in phase one

1006
00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:13,260
was easier because it was like, this lady's

1007
00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:15,719
imploding, and I felt so bad because it

1008
00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:17,795
was my fault that I actually found phase

1009
00:35:17,795 --> 00:35:19,154
one easier because it was like, you know

1010
00:35:19,154 --> 00:35:20,674
what? I am a monster. You can call

1011
00:35:20,674 --> 00:35:22,275
me that if you want. Like, oh my

1012
00:35:22,275 --> 00:35:25,074
gosh. Like, I accepted the name calling. Phase

1013
00:35:25,074 --> 00:35:26,755
two was tough because I was tired of

1014
00:35:26,755 --> 00:35:28,994
being called names. I you know, this is

1015
00:35:28,994 --> 00:35:30,835
my wife. I wanna be married again. I

1016
00:35:30,835 --> 00:35:33,500
wanna, like, I wanna have a relationship, like,

1017
00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:35,099
a a loving one like we used to

1018
00:35:35,099 --> 00:35:37,579
have. Like and so phase two sucked because

1019
00:35:37,579 --> 00:35:38,880
it's like we're having

1020
00:35:39,260 --> 00:35:40,960
a lot of really painful conversations,

1021
00:35:41,500 --> 00:35:43,820
but it almost hurt worse, Danny, because we're

1022
00:35:43,820 --> 00:35:46,324
we're both committed to each other again. And

1023
00:35:46,324 --> 00:35:48,804
now the pain, I mean, it it it

1024
00:35:48,804 --> 00:35:50,025
stung a lot.

1025
00:35:50,324 --> 00:35:52,644
And I found we were actually having more

1026
00:35:52,644 --> 00:35:55,364
communication issues in phase two because we were

1027
00:35:55,364 --> 00:35:56,264
actually communicating

1028
00:35:56,644 --> 00:35:59,224
rather than drawing lines and throwing stones.

1029
00:35:59,809 --> 00:36:01,570
So talk to me about phase two. How

1030
00:36:01,570 --> 00:36:03,730
is this you know, you mentioned, like, kinda

1031
00:36:03,730 --> 00:36:06,130
like the EFT kind of philosophy. Right? How

1032
00:36:06,130 --> 00:36:08,449
do we how do we have conversations about

1033
00:36:08,449 --> 00:36:10,309
what's actually going on,

1034
00:36:10,929 --> 00:36:13,695
not what you hear or think is going

1035
00:36:13,695 --> 00:36:15,375
on. What's the advice that you give there?

1036
00:36:15,375 --> 00:36:17,295
Because getting down to the core of it's

1037
00:36:17,295 --> 00:36:20,015
hard to do without a therapist involved. It's

1038
00:36:20,015 --> 00:36:21,775
very difficult to do on your own as

1039
00:36:21,775 --> 00:36:22,355
a couple.

1040
00:36:22,815 --> 00:36:26,094
Yeah. Well, it like, our phase two, it

1041
00:36:26,094 --> 00:36:28,039
kind of involves this grieving and mourning

1042
00:36:28,420 --> 00:36:31,780
thing. Yeah, I like that. Because, you know,

1043
00:36:31,780 --> 00:36:33,940
a bomb went off and we're having to

1044
00:36:33,940 --> 00:36:36,340
reestablish safety and stability and then we're moving

1045
00:36:36,340 --> 00:36:37,800
into this other place where,

1046
00:36:38,180 --> 00:36:38,840
you know,

1047
00:36:40,344 --> 00:36:42,585
say the the husband is doing all the

1048
00:36:42,585 --> 00:36:43,485
things and going

1049
00:36:43,945 --> 00:36:46,364
to the meetings and seeing the therapist, and

1050
00:36:46,585 --> 00:36:49,244
and she's in a group, and and she's

1051
00:36:49,305 --> 00:36:51,805
seeing her own coach or therapist as well,

1052
00:36:51,864 --> 00:36:55,005
and and they're desiring to kinda come back.

1053
00:36:56,099 --> 00:36:58,119
What this is what I tell people.

1054
00:36:59,460 --> 00:37:01,079
You're creating something new.

1055
00:37:01,940 --> 00:37:03,700
And what is it that you wanna create?

1056
00:37:03,700 --> 00:37:05,780
Because you can't go back to what you

1057
00:37:05,780 --> 00:37:08,119
had because what you had was toxic.

1058
00:37:08,964 --> 00:37:11,464
You know? There was an illusion of things

1059
00:37:12,164 --> 00:37:13,704
being a certain way,

1060
00:37:14,085 --> 00:37:15,065
but the reality

1061
00:37:15,364 --> 00:37:16,664
revealed something different.

1062
00:37:17,204 --> 00:37:20,085
And so it it becomes an opportunity. And

1063
00:37:20,085 --> 00:37:22,779
and these stages and the length of time

1064
00:37:22,779 --> 00:37:24,960
vary because it depends on how committed people

1065
00:37:25,260 --> 00:37:27,179
are. People, like, say three to five years.

1066
00:37:27,179 --> 00:37:28,159
Well, you know,

1067
00:37:29,339 --> 00:37:31,339
like, I I went through all of my

1068
00:37:31,339 --> 00:37:34,380
stuff throughout the the first marriage, was married

1069
00:37:34,380 --> 00:37:36,219
twenty years, and then was in recovery for

1070
00:37:36,219 --> 00:37:39,284
many, many years. And there's varying levels and

1071
00:37:39,284 --> 00:37:40,824
lingers that we're having to process.

1072
00:37:41,364 --> 00:37:43,445
No. It's not as hard as it was

1073
00:37:43,445 --> 00:37:46,085
at the very beginning stages. That marriage did

1074
00:37:46,085 --> 00:37:46,744
not work,

1075
00:37:47,204 --> 00:37:48,344
unfortunately. But,

1076
00:37:48,724 --> 00:37:49,320
you know,

1077
00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:51,400
you get to wherever you're at, and where

1078
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:53,239
you at is where you are. And that's

1079
00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:55,160
what we're having to deal with. Where are

1080
00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:57,640
we now? Like, the State of the Union

1081
00:37:57,640 --> 00:37:59,480
address, you know, like, this is where I'm

1082
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:01,099
at. This is where I'm still struggling.

1083
00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:03,320
This is where I felt like I'm doing

1084
00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:04,140
really well.

1085
00:38:04,644 --> 00:38:06,565
And I think it was Simon Sinek where

1086
00:38:06,565 --> 00:38:07,704
he talks about

1087
00:38:08,164 --> 00:38:10,105
instead of, like, you know,

1088
00:38:11,684 --> 00:38:14,105
saying what the other person's doing wrong still,

1089
00:38:14,164 --> 00:38:16,405
tell them what they're doing right, and you

1090
00:38:16,405 --> 00:38:18,644
would say what you're not doing well. Mhmm.

1091
00:38:18,644 --> 00:38:19,500
I like that.

1092
00:38:19,980 --> 00:38:21,659
And I thought, well, that was an an

1093
00:38:21,659 --> 00:38:23,039
interesting little shift

1094
00:38:23,340 --> 00:38:23,840
because,

1095
00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:26,400
you know, we've got these shadow sides,

1096
00:38:26,780 --> 00:38:29,099
and we we have to acknowledge those parts

1097
00:38:29,099 --> 00:38:31,019
of us. Like, I would never do this.

1098
00:38:31,019 --> 00:38:33,179
I could not ever be like that or

1099
00:38:33,179 --> 00:38:34,934
say that or do that or show up

1100
00:38:34,934 --> 00:38:37,175
in that kind of seedy place. And yet

1101
00:38:37,175 --> 00:38:37,914
it's like,

1102
00:38:39,094 --> 00:38:39,675
you know,

1103
00:38:39,974 --> 00:38:41,434
maybe not like that,

1104
00:38:41,815 --> 00:38:43,575
but the spirit in it, the energy in

1105
00:38:43,575 --> 00:38:45,255
it is something we have to look at.

1106
00:38:45,255 --> 00:38:47,255
And so that mourning and grief stage is

1107
00:38:47,255 --> 00:38:48,635
looking at like, wow.

1108
00:38:49,019 --> 00:38:50,559
What I thought I had.

1109
00:38:51,019 --> 00:38:53,280
And it wasn't all crap. Right?

1110
00:38:53,579 --> 00:38:55,019
You know, I had to look at some

1111
00:38:55,019 --> 00:38:55,099
of the

1112
00:38:55,900 --> 00:38:56,480
you know,

1113
00:38:56,940 --> 00:38:58,960
my family had good moments,

1114
00:38:59,579 --> 00:39:01,724
and then there was a lot else that

1115
00:39:01,724 --> 00:39:03,244
was going on. So I had to look

1116
00:39:03,244 --> 00:39:04,144
at all of that,

1117
00:39:04,444 --> 00:39:06,125
and I had to grieve that. And I

1118
00:39:06,125 --> 00:39:07,744
still grieve some of that just

1119
00:39:08,444 --> 00:39:11,164
years later on a different plane that I'm

1120
00:39:11,164 --> 00:39:11,664
on.

1121
00:39:11,964 --> 00:39:12,464
And

1122
00:39:13,644 --> 00:39:15,744
for the couple, I would just say,

1123
00:39:16,050 --> 00:39:18,530
again, you're doing check ins, and those can

1124
00:39:18,530 --> 00:39:21,170
be mundane and tedious at times because it's

1125
00:39:21,170 --> 00:39:23,030
like, like, moat, you know,

1126
00:39:23,410 --> 00:39:24,769
just saying the same thing over and over

1127
00:39:24,769 --> 00:39:27,090
again. And so it's like we go a

1128
00:39:27,090 --> 00:39:29,635
little bit deeper, you know, really, like, what's

1129
00:39:29,635 --> 00:39:30,994
on your mind? What's on your heart? What's

1130
00:39:30,994 --> 00:39:31,974
alive in you today?

1131
00:39:32,795 --> 00:39:34,835
You know, what did you pick up in

1132
00:39:34,835 --> 00:39:37,155
your session? Now early on, the wife's, like,

1133
00:39:37,155 --> 00:39:38,855
wanted to know, like, what are you doing?

1134
00:39:38,994 --> 00:39:40,674
What'd you learn? Because if you didn't learn

1135
00:39:40,674 --> 00:39:41,974
what I think you should be learning,

1136
00:39:42,594 --> 00:39:44,960
that becomes a struggle and it's difficult for

1137
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:45,780
the husband.

1138
00:39:46,319 --> 00:39:46,819
But

1139
00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:50,239
there's a point in time where some of

1140
00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:52,480
the let them theory comes into play when

1141
00:39:52,480 --> 00:39:55,679
there's not acting out. If you're still acting

1142
00:39:55,679 --> 00:39:56,175
out,

1143
00:39:56,894 --> 00:39:58,815
like Right. That's a whole different ballgame. But

1144
00:39:58,815 --> 00:40:00,994
if if there's evidence and consistency

1145
00:40:01,295 --> 00:40:02,835
and things are being congruent,

1146
00:40:04,015 --> 00:40:06,655
you that's where you're starting to, like, come

1147
00:40:06,655 --> 00:40:07,474
back together.

1148
00:40:07,934 --> 00:40:09,474
And it does take a lot of,

1149
00:40:10,894 --> 00:40:11,394
attunement,

1150
00:40:12,230 --> 00:40:14,089
right, and awareness.

1151
00:40:15,109 --> 00:40:17,190
Staying in present moment is a huge thing

1152
00:40:17,190 --> 00:40:17,690
because

1153
00:40:17,989 --> 00:40:19,609
we have a tendency as partners

1154
00:40:19,909 --> 00:40:20,809
to go backwards.

1155
00:40:21,349 --> 00:40:23,030
Like, oh, but this reminds me of this,

1156
00:40:23,030 --> 00:40:25,109
and that happens. And that's the nervous system.

1157
00:40:25,109 --> 00:40:25,429
That's just

1158
00:40:26,434 --> 00:40:28,434
that's what we that's that's how that all

1159
00:40:28,434 --> 00:40:30,594
works. And it's brutal and it's awful and

1160
00:40:30,594 --> 00:40:31,655
you wake up ruminating.

1161
00:40:32,195 --> 00:40:33,255
And and for the

1162
00:40:33,554 --> 00:40:35,635
the male, it's like, oh my god. I

1163
00:40:35,635 --> 00:40:37,155
wonder what that's like for you. Like, I

1164
00:40:37,155 --> 00:40:38,914
can't imagine not getting a full eight hours

1165
00:40:38,914 --> 00:40:40,755
of sleep. Like, you're waking up still thinking

1166
00:40:40,755 --> 00:40:41,255
about

1167
00:40:41,849 --> 00:40:42,989
this, this, and that.

1168
00:40:44,010 --> 00:40:46,349
Like, just even having empathy for that

1169
00:40:46,650 --> 00:40:48,269
without having to fix her

1170
00:40:48,730 --> 00:40:49,230
or

1171
00:40:49,930 --> 00:40:52,410
justify or I've I've been doing all these

1172
00:40:52,410 --> 00:40:52,910
things.

1173
00:40:53,210 --> 00:40:54,809
You know? It's like this is where the

1174
00:40:54,809 --> 00:40:56,570
rubber meets the road in this phase here

1175
00:40:56,570 --> 00:40:57,375
because it's like,

1176
00:40:57,934 --> 00:41:00,355
can we continue to grow a little story?

1177
00:41:00,494 --> 00:41:01,235
And, unfortunately,

1178
00:41:01,614 --> 00:41:03,954
none of us learned this in school. Like,

1179
00:41:04,494 --> 00:41:08,094
like, could you imagine, Lauren, like, learning solid

1180
00:41:08,094 --> 00:41:08,594
communication

1181
00:41:08,894 --> 00:41:10,195
skills early on

1182
00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:12,660
and how that would affect everybody,

1183
00:41:13,119 --> 00:41:14,960
but none of us had that. We didn't

1184
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:16,500
have it modeled. And so

1185
00:41:17,519 --> 00:41:19,539
I also see this as a great opportunity

1186
00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:22,019
to create something great

1187
00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:24,864
if we're willing to do the work. Mhmm.

1188
00:41:24,864 --> 00:41:27,045
All that's going to take both

1189
00:41:28,224 --> 00:41:31,264
people, particularly in that second stage because that's

1190
00:41:31,264 --> 00:41:33,525
where some of the relapses happen too.

1191
00:41:34,065 --> 00:41:34,644
You know?

1192
00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:37,079
Well, the grief phase yeah. I mean, the

1193
00:41:37,079 --> 00:41:40,299
grief phase wears off at eight month eight.

1194
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:42,859
All guys are like, oh, I'm sober.

1195
00:41:43,159 --> 00:41:45,960
And then the grief phase wears off, and

1196
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:48,039
you're less sober than you thought. And and

1197
00:41:48,039 --> 00:41:50,625
it happens I mean, it's it's so common

1198
00:41:50,625 --> 00:41:53,445
that it's written in pretty much every text

1199
00:41:53,744 --> 00:41:54,244
about,

1200
00:41:55,344 --> 00:41:58,065
about sex addiction recovery is when the grief

1201
00:41:58,065 --> 00:42:01,184
keeps you sober because you're terrified about, you

1202
00:42:01,184 --> 00:42:03,184
know, your life leaving you. But, yeah, once

1203
00:42:03,184 --> 00:42:05,079
that grief goes away, you you know? And

1204
00:42:05,079 --> 00:42:06,599
that's the challenge, I think, like you said,

1205
00:42:06,599 --> 00:42:08,139
with phase two. Phase two,

1206
00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:10,760
you know, the the crisis is kind of

1207
00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:12,920
what seems to have passed. You're starting to

1208
00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:15,319
say, oh, she's not gonna leave me. Actually,

1209
00:42:15,319 --> 00:42:17,000
you know, first whole first phase is like,

1210
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:18,855
oh my gosh. She's gonna leave me. She's

1211
00:42:18,855 --> 00:42:19,894
gonna leave me. She's gonna leave me. I

1212
00:42:19,894 --> 00:42:21,015
need to be on my best behavior. But,

1213
00:42:21,015 --> 00:42:23,175
yeah, once she recommits and you feel that,

1214
00:42:23,175 --> 00:42:24,954
you'll feel it in your body, the recommitment

1215
00:42:25,574 --> 00:42:27,735
to your point. Yeah. Slips and relapses do

1216
00:42:27,735 --> 00:42:30,054
happen in that stage. But it's a but

1217
00:42:30,054 --> 00:42:31,835
I'm curious. What do you like,

1218
00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:34,059
Danny, when you're

1219
00:42:34,519 --> 00:42:36,119
you know, because it is. It's phase two

1220
00:42:36,119 --> 00:42:38,920
is a different phase because now we're we're

1221
00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:41,159
trying to do recovery together, but we're far

1222
00:42:41,159 --> 00:42:43,079
from over it. I mean, the the addict

1223
00:42:43,079 --> 00:42:45,494
is still figuring out I mean, because this

1224
00:42:45,494 --> 00:42:47,335
is a process addiction and not really a

1225
00:42:47,335 --> 00:42:49,414
sex addiction, the addict's still trying to figure

1226
00:42:49,414 --> 00:42:51,974
out what are these problematic thought processes that

1227
00:42:51,974 --> 00:42:54,214
I'm addicted to, and how am I gonna

1228
00:42:54,214 --> 00:42:55,654
sub them out. Because I think that, you

1229
00:42:55,654 --> 00:42:57,594
know, that's the challenge is, like,

1230
00:42:57,909 --> 00:42:59,989
as long as these other things if as

1231
00:42:59,989 --> 00:43:01,989
long as your brain likes those better than

1232
00:43:01,989 --> 00:43:04,389
the alternatives, it's gonna keep telling you to

1233
00:43:04,389 --> 00:43:05,989
go do those things. You know? I mean,

1234
00:43:05,989 --> 00:43:07,909
the the process of selling your brain on

1235
00:43:07,909 --> 00:43:08,409
superior

1236
00:43:09,190 --> 00:43:11,925
substitutes is it's a it's a it's not

1237
00:43:11,925 --> 00:43:13,925
as easy as everyone would like to make

1238
00:43:13,925 --> 00:43:16,244
it sound. And meanwhile, your wife's over here

1239
00:43:16,244 --> 00:43:17,224
on this other side.

1240
00:43:17,525 --> 00:43:19,445
She's trying she really you know, phase two

1241
00:43:19,445 --> 00:43:21,605
is kinda cool because your wife's really like,

1242
00:43:21,605 --> 00:43:23,485
I need to I need to I need

1243
00:43:23,485 --> 00:43:24,805
to figure a lot of this out for

1244
00:43:24,805 --> 00:43:27,110
me. Like, she understands, like, a lot of

1245
00:43:27,110 --> 00:43:28,250
the stuff that she thinks

1246
00:43:28,630 --> 00:43:29,530
is not healthy.

1247
00:43:30,230 --> 00:43:32,010
And she knows that. But, again,

1248
00:43:32,390 --> 00:43:34,470
it doesn't take the pain away from both

1249
00:43:34,470 --> 00:43:36,630
partners. Right? I find phase two is full

1250
00:43:36,630 --> 00:43:38,804
of the guy sick of being judged and

1251
00:43:38,804 --> 00:43:41,204
labeled for activities that he has proven he

1252
00:43:41,204 --> 00:43:43,204
wants out of his life. And then she's

1253
00:43:43,204 --> 00:43:45,545
over here getting judged by her husband

1254
00:43:45,925 --> 00:43:46,425
for,

1255
00:43:47,284 --> 00:43:49,525
you know you know, again, they they try

1256
00:43:49,684 --> 00:43:51,359
you know, we try not to, but we

1257
00:43:51,359 --> 00:43:54,420
do approach these situations with fix it energy.

1258
00:43:54,799 --> 00:43:57,279
And so which is not what she's asking.

1259
00:43:57,279 --> 00:43:58,019
She's saying,

1260
00:43:58,480 --> 00:43:59,779
I believe these beliefs,

1261
00:44:00,159 --> 00:44:01,219
and I hate them.

1262
00:44:01,679 --> 00:44:03,119
And that's what I think guys need to

1263
00:44:03,119 --> 00:44:05,885
understand is, yeah, she hates them, you hate

1264
00:44:05,885 --> 00:44:08,224
them, you both hate them. But to me,

1265
00:44:08,844 --> 00:44:10,525
Mark, what I would I'd I'd be curious

1266
00:44:10,525 --> 00:44:12,204
to your thought. What I usually tell people

1267
00:44:12,204 --> 00:44:13,485
about phase two, if I have to, like,

1268
00:44:13,485 --> 00:44:15,724
keep it really short and sweet, I usually

1269
00:44:15,724 --> 00:44:16,224
say,

1270
00:44:17,390 --> 00:44:19,789
you guys are fighting the same enemy finally.

1271
00:44:19,789 --> 00:44:22,210
You know, phase one, you're not. Phase one,

1272
00:44:22,349 --> 00:44:24,050
she's try you know, she's

1273
00:44:24,430 --> 00:44:26,030
you know, she's trying to fight yours to

1274
00:44:26,030 --> 00:44:27,869
leave you. You're trying to keep her to

1275
00:44:27,869 --> 00:44:29,630
stay. So you guys are kind of doing

1276
00:44:29,630 --> 00:44:31,070
two different things, and I kind of work

1277
00:44:31,070 --> 00:44:31,570
harmoniously.

1278
00:44:31,869 --> 00:44:34,925
Right? You're fighting for her and the relationship,

1279
00:44:34,925 --> 00:44:36,925
which I'm sure she appreciates even though she's

1280
00:44:36,925 --> 00:44:37,825
calling you names.

1281
00:44:38,525 --> 00:44:40,204
But then she's still kind of doing a

1282
00:44:40,204 --> 00:44:43,025
similar fight. Like like, is this something so

1283
00:44:43,325 --> 00:44:45,585
I think phase two is almost harder because

1284
00:44:45,849 --> 00:44:47,609
it it looks harder, but I think it

1285
00:44:47,609 --> 00:44:49,449
shouldn't be because you guys actually have a

1286
00:44:49,449 --> 00:44:50,269
common enemy.

1287
00:44:51,050 --> 00:44:53,069
You guys have the addictive behaviors

1288
00:44:53,769 --> 00:44:56,329
and the trauma that it caused. You guys

1289
00:44:56,329 --> 00:44:57,949
should be on the same team.

1290
00:44:58,489 --> 00:45:00,489
Danny, why is that so hard though? Because

1291
00:45:00,489 --> 00:45:02,545
I'll tell you what. When I see couples

1292
00:45:02,545 --> 00:45:03,905
in phase two, they don't look like they're

1293
00:45:03,905 --> 00:45:05,905
on the same team quite yet. What's the

1294
00:45:05,985 --> 00:45:07,505
how what kind of tools can we do

1295
00:45:07,505 --> 00:45:08,244
to get there?

1296
00:45:09,824 --> 00:45:10,324
Well,

1297
00:45:10,625 --> 00:45:12,324
I like what you're saying. It's like,

1298
00:45:12,785 --> 00:45:14,485
if we can put in the middle

1299
00:45:14,864 --> 00:45:16,724
the actual issue and the problem,

1300
00:45:17,109 --> 00:45:19,449
and we have the individuals on the outside,

1301
00:45:19,510 --> 00:45:21,449
like, we don't vilify each other.

1302
00:45:21,750 --> 00:45:23,829
Right? The problem is when we take everything

1303
00:45:23,829 --> 00:45:24,329
personal.

1304
00:45:24,710 --> 00:45:25,690
Yeah. And

1305
00:45:26,150 --> 00:45:28,570
and, yes, it's personal because it's relational,

1306
00:45:29,424 --> 00:45:31,824
and yet a lot of it's not. And

1307
00:45:31,824 --> 00:45:33,824
if we can see it as this is

1308
00:45:33,824 --> 00:45:36,625
somebody who's struggling with their own inner demons

1309
00:45:36,625 --> 00:45:39,025
or whatever it is, and whether it's the

1310
00:45:39,025 --> 00:45:40,885
compulsive behaviors due to

1311
00:45:41,424 --> 00:45:43,264
wanting to climb the ladder and be seen

1312
00:45:43,264 --> 00:45:45,659
as successful and have all the things, and

1313
00:45:45,659 --> 00:45:48,859
or the partner where she has her own

1314
00:45:48,859 --> 00:45:51,420
set of ideals. Right? So you're really being

1315
00:45:51,420 --> 00:45:52,559
faced with, like

1316
00:45:54,059 --> 00:45:56,460
you have a reality check there. Mhmm. What

1317
00:45:56,460 --> 00:45:58,139
I thought I believed, is that what I

1318
00:45:58,139 --> 00:45:58,960
still believe

1319
00:45:59,614 --> 00:46:01,234
with where we're at right now?

1320
00:46:02,174 --> 00:46:04,414
If I if I believe that we're both

1321
00:46:04,414 --> 00:46:06,734
fighting for the same thing or on the

1322
00:46:06,734 --> 00:46:08,674
same team, that makes it a lot easier

1323
00:46:08,815 --> 00:46:09,474
for sure.

1324
00:46:10,094 --> 00:46:10,594
And

1325
00:46:11,534 --> 00:46:14,114
also knowing that this phase is also messy.

1326
00:46:14,414 --> 00:46:17,440
Right? It doesn't have to be as messy,

1327
00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:20,099
but it's still messy because we're we're repatterning.

1328
00:46:20,719 --> 00:46:22,639
We're setting new grooves in the brain, and

1329
00:46:22,639 --> 00:46:23,139
we're,

1330
00:46:23,599 --> 00:46:25,839
establishing new ways of being as a couple,

1331
00:46:25,839 --> 00:46:27,224
and it's different. It's

1332
00:46:27,704 --> 00:46:30,105
something we haven't done before. Mhmm. And so

1333
00:46:30,105 --> 00:46:31,485
you don't wanna go backwards.

1334
00:46:31,945 --> 00:46:34,345
And so moving forward, we're gonna be honest

1335
00:46:34,345 --> 00:46:36,505
and open and real and transparent, and that

1336
00:46:36,505 --> 00:46:38,285
scares the hell out of us

1337
00:46:38,664 --> 00:46:41,164
because we don't wanna get hurt again.

1338
00:46:41,704 --> 00:46:42,445
And so

1339
00:46:42,909 --> 00:46:44,909
to stay in the game is half the

1340
00:46:44,909 --> 00:46:47,409
battle there. If I can just stay present

1341
00:46:47,789 --> 00:46:49,170
and I can stay

1342
00:46:49,630 --> 00:46:51,869
attuned to myself, if I can, as a

1343
00:46:51,869 --> 00:46:52,369
partner,

1344
00:46:52,909 --> 00:46:54,590
keep my feet on the ground and know

1345
00:46:54,590 --> 00:46:56,429
that right now, I'm safe. Right now, he's

1346
00:46:56,429 --> 00:46:58,110
in the room with me. Right now, he's

1347
00:46:58,110 --> 00:47:00,315
not acting out. Right now, he is in

1348
00:47:00,315 --> 00:47:02,474
recovery. Right now, he is seeing a therapist.

1349
00:47:02,474 --> 00:47:04,014
Right now, I have support.

1350
00:47:04,315 --> 00:47:05,855
Right now, we're seeing couples.

1351
00:47:06,795 --> 00:47:09,514
We're in couples therapy work, and we're now

1352
00:47:09,514 --> 00:47:11,855
having to learn these tools to implement.

1353
00:47:12,219 --> 00:47:14,239
And, yeah, it seems so psychology.

1354
00:47:15,099 --> 00:47:16,539
You know what I mean? Like, all the

1355
00:47:16,539 --> 00:47:18,699
jargon is completely different than what we're used

1356
00:47:18,699 --> 00:47:20,380
to. And it's like I always tell my

1357
00:47:20,380 --> 00:47:21,760
husband, like, get over it.

1358
00:47:23,180 --> 00:47:24,880
Yeah. This is what she's learning,

1359
00:47:25,284 --> 00:47:28,025
and this is actually helping her stay grounded,

1360
00:47:28,405 --> 00:47:29,625
which will help you

1361
00:47:30,244 --> 00:47:30,744
too.

1362
00:47:31,125 --> 00:47:33,864
When she's not feeling grounded, when she's unregulated,

1363
00:47:34,324 --> 00:47:36,644
you're liable to get attacked and called names

1364
00:47:36,644 --> 00:47:39,280
again. And for your sake and hers,

1365
00:47:39,820 --> 00:47:41,360
we just have to, like,

1366
00:47:43,500 --> 00:47:44,880
work with each other.

1367
00:47:45,579 --> 00:47:47,440
And I'm not this is not easy.

1368
00:47:47,820 --> 00:47:50,699
No. Because we had ego that's coming up.

1369
00:47:50,699 --> 00:47:53,734
Our our low our parts come up. Right?

1370
00:47:53,734 --> 00:47:56,554
If you're one who ascribes to attachment theory,

1371
00:47:56,614 --> 00:47:59,194
it's like you've got the avoiders and the

1372
00:47:59,414 --> 00:48:02,394
insecure attachments. And, you know, the secure attachments

1373
00:48:02,775 --> 00:48:04,920
are usually based in, like, I know I'm

1374
00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:07,500
being cared for. I know I'm being considered.

1375
00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:10,599
I know I have resources, inner resources, and

1376
00:48:10,599 --> 00:48:11,739
exterior resources,

1377
00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:14,280
and I'm not putting all my eggs in

1378
00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:14,780
you.

1379
00:48:15,159 --> 00:48:17,639
Mhmm. And so I would love to do

1380
00:48:17,639 --> 00:48:18,780
life with you

1381
00:48:19,144 --> 00:48:21,304
alongside you, but you are you and I

1382
00:48:21,304 --> 00:48:23,065
am me. And how can we create this

1383
00:48:23,065 --> 00:48:23,885
life together?

1384
00:48:24,344 --> 00:48:25,164
That's where

1385
00:48:25,704 --> 00:48:27,565
I think beautiful things can come,

1386
00:48:28,344 --> 00:48:30,284
and it takes as long as it takes.

1387
00:48:30,425 --> 00:48:32,425
You know? You nailed it. The that's what

1388
00:48:32,425 --> 00:48:34,349
I tell you know? Because it is. Like,

1389
00:48:34,590 --> 00:48:36,590
you're gonna forever be a cheater. I know

1390
00:48:36,590 --> 00:48:38,829
that sucks, but, like, her brain just knows

1391
00:48:38,829 --> 00:48:41,789
that you have cheated before. And so she

1392
00:48:41,789 --> 00:48:43,970
need you guys need to develop a relationship

1393
00:48:44,110 --> 00:48:44,610
where

1394
00:48:45,309 --> 00:48:47,594
she knows that that was something that has

1395
00:48:47,835 --> 00:48:50,715
happened, and, and you guys are gonna figure

1396
00:48:50,715 --> 00:48:52,474
out how to navigate that. And then vice

1397
00:48:52,474 --> 00:48:52,974
versa,

1398
00:48:53,355 --> 00:48:56,315
you're with somebody who doesn't who can't blindly

1399
00:48:56,315 --> 00:48:57,775
trust you again and

1400
00:48:58,394 --> 00:49:00,494
and will probably likely have

1401
00:49:00,875 --> 00:49:04,469
these triggering moments for the foreseeable future. And

1402
00:49:04,469 --> 00:49:05,989
so I think you nailed it. It's how

1403
00:49:05,989 --> 00:49:08,469
do we develop a relationship there? Because, like,

1404
00:49:08,469 --> 00:49:10,070
everybody does this. We we we get with

1405
00:49:10,070 --> 00:49:12,469
people with flaws and character that, you know,

1406
00:49:12,469 --> 00:49:14,570
all the time, and we find a way.

1407
00:49:14,710 --> 00:49:17,445
And, sexual portrayal is no different. It's bigger.

1408
00:49:17,525 --> 00:49:20,405
It's uglier. It's more complex. No no question

1409
00:49:20,405 --> 00:49:23,445
about it. You definitely need professional help because

1410
00:49:23,445 --> 00:49:25,625
no one no one can do this,

1411
00:49:26,085 --> 00:49:27,144
with their own intuition.

1412
00:49:27,605 --> 00:49:29,125
But at the same time, I'll just say

1413
00:49:29,125 --> 00:49:30,985
this to all the, you know, people listening.

1414
00:49:32,900 --> 00:49:34,739
There is a way. You can you can

1415
00:49:34,739 --> 00:49:36,519
be with somebody who's made mistakes,

1416
00:49:37,219 --> 00:49:38,739
and you can find a way forward.

1417
00:49:39,219 --> 00:49:40,900
Dani, if people are gonna get a hold

1418
00:49:40,900 --> 00:49:43,140
of you, how do they find you? Do

1419
00:49:43,140 --> 00:49:45,780
you work with men, women, couples? Talk to

1420
00:49:45,780 --> 00:49:47,140
us a bit about where we can find

1421
00:49:47,140 --> 00:49:48,315
you and who you work with.

1422
00:49:49,355 --> 00:49:51,275
So it's easy to find me. It's my

1423
00:49:51,275 --> 00:49:54,635
name, danny m peterson dot com, and that's

1424
00:49:54,635 --> 00:49:56,795
how you can find me on social media

1425
00:49:56,795 --> 00:49:57,454
as well.

1426
00:49:57,835 --> 00:49:59,454
And I do free consultations.

1427
00:50:00,554 --> 00:50:03,059
I work with the partners, mostly the women,

1428
00:50:03,059 --> 00:50:06,340
just helping them kind of reestablish safety and

1429
00:50:06,340 --> 00:50:06,840
security

1430
00:50:07,300 --> 00:50:09,800
and be able to find their voice again

1431
00:50:10,019 --> 00:50:12,280
and be able to, stand up for themselves,

1432
00:50:12,340 --> 00:50:15,860
be self advocate, and, practice self agency and

1433
00:50:15,860 --> 00:50:17,974
all of that. And I do work with

1434
00:50:17,974 --> 00:50:19,735
the couples too when they get to that

1435
00:50:19,735 --> 00:50:20,235
stage.

1436
00:50:20,614 --> 00:50:23,175
I don't specialize in the compulsive behaviors and

1437
00:50:23,175 --> 00:50:25,675
addiction side, but I sometimes help them through

1438
00:50:25,974 --> 00:50:26,635
the discover,

1439
00:50:27,575 --> 00:50:28,875
the disclosure piece,

1440
00:50:29,589 --> 00:50:31,589
because there's, like, this whole community that comes

1441
00:50:31,589 --> 00:50:33,750
together. So I'm working with the therapist, and

1442
00:50:33,750 --> 00:50:35,750
then sometimes I do personally like to meet

1443
00:50:35,750 --> 00:50:37,670
with the husband because I want him to

1444
00:50:37,670 --> 00:50:40,150
know, like, look, I'm I'm on your guys'

1445
00:50:40,150 --> 00:50:42,070
team. Mhmm. I'm not just in her camp,

1446
00:50:42,070 --> 00:50:44,385
and you're the bad guy. I want him

1447
00:50:44,385 --> 00:50:46,385
to know that, like, I really wanna see

1448
00:50:46,385 --> 00:50:48,785
you guys do well. Mhmm. And, you know,

1449
00:50:48,785 --> 00:50:50,864
I preview a lot of the things for

1450
00:50:50,864 --> 00:50:53,744
them from a partner standpoint. Like, yeah, this

1451
00:50:53,744 --> 00:50:55,664
sounds a little gaslight y and, you know,

1452
00:50:55,664 --> 00:50:57,265
if you can just own this piece. And

1453
00:50:57,265 --> 00:50:58,965
that was the other thing is just own.

1454
00:50:59,059 --> 00:51:01,460
Yeah. I've been a total a hole. You're

1455
00:51:01,460 --> 00:51:03,460
right. I have done that. Like, if just

1456
00:51:03,460 --> 00:51:06,179
even owning it Right. Will actually calm someone's

1457
00:51:06,179 --> 00:51:07,000
nervous system.

1458
00:51:07,380 --> 00:51:09,380
Right. Oh, yeah. And it's a lot easier

1459
00:51:09,380 --> 00:51:12,099
to do that in a therapeutic container. Yeah.

1460
00:51:12,099 --> 00:51:14,204
It is. It is. Absolutely. You're right. You

1461
00:51:14,204 --> 00:51:15,484
said too. She's like, I feel like I'm

1462
00:51:15,484 --> 00:51:17,644
acting crazy. Right. I've done it. And it's

1463
00:51:17,644 --> 00:51:19,484
like, I am acting crazy, and I can

1464
00:51:19,484 --> 00:51:21,664
only imagine what it's like to view this.

1465
00:51:21,885 --> 00:51:24,204
And so I kinda work with the couples

1466
00:51:24,204 --> 00:51:24,944
on just

1467
00:51:27,699 --> 00:51:28,679
being a we,

1468
00:51:29,059 --> 00:51:30,199
working on The Us,

1469
00:51:30,500 --> 00:51:31,000
reestablishing

1470
00:51:31,539 --> 00:51:32,599
new ground rules.

1471
00:51:33,139 --> 00:51:35,059
I hate using the word rules, but, like,

1472
00:51:35,059 --> 00:51:37,319
you know Mhmm. Healthy boundaries. Engagement.

1473
00:51:38,019 --> 00:51:39,619
Like, how are we going to engage and

1474
00:51:39,619 --> 00:51:40,359
stay connected?

1475
00:51:40,784 --> 00:51:42,085
Because all of this

1476
00:51:42,464 --> 00:51:44,964
comes down to a disconnect in relationship.

1477
00:51:45,905 --> 00:51:47,364
And how do we reestablish

1478
00:51:48,065 --> 00:51:48,565
connection?

1479
00:51:48,864 --> 00:51:50,784
And how do we do it safely and

1480
00:51:50,784 --> 00:51:51,284
soundly

1481
00:51:51,905 --> 00:51:54,885
and in a way that remember shared humanity?

1482
00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:57,599
That was one of the things, and believe

1483
00:51:57,599 --> 00:51:59,440
me, I could have said a lot of

1484
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:01,460
horrible things about my first husband,

1485
00:52:01,839 --> 00:52:03,519
but it was also the father of my

1486
00:52:03,519 --> 00:52:04,019
kids.

1487
00:52:04,400 --> 00:52:06,559
Yeah. True that. And so I had to

1488
00:52:06,559 --> 00:52:08,659
realize too, and I'm a faith based practitioner

1489
00:52:08,880 --> 00:52:09,539
as well,

1490
00:52:09,945 --> 00:52:13,164
I I don't believe that God makes horrible

1491
00:52:13,224 --> 00:52:13,724
people.

1492
00:52:14,025 --> 00:52:16,265
And so I I come from that standpoint

1493
00:52:16,265 --> 00:52:17,625
too. Yeah. So there's a way to get

1494
00:52:17,625 --> 00:52:19,785
back. There's something pure to get back to.

1495
00:52:19,785 --> 00:52:20,925
Yeah. And I work holistically

1496
00:52:21,224 --> 00:52:23,489
as well. So I'm a coach and holistic

1497
00:52:23,489 --> 00:52:25,329
practitioner. And free consults, you said, as well?

1498
00:52:25,329 --> 00:52:27,650
Free the oh, that's awesome. So, yeah, that's

1499
00:52:27,809 --> 00:52:29,090
I'll put the link to that in the

1500
00:52:29,090 --> 00:52:31,329
show notes for those that wanna take advantage

1501
00:52:31,329 --> 00:52:32,769
of that. Now we get to meet Dani

1502
00:52:32,769 --> 00:52:34,289
before you guys get to trust her with

1503
00:52:34,289 --> 00:52:36,130
the most important thing. Well, Dani, this was

1504
00:52:36,130 --> 00:52:37,889
so great. I appreciate you coming on. This

1505
00:52:37,889 --> 00:52:39,875
was wonderful. Thank you for help sharing all

1506
00:52:39,875 --> 00:52:41,394
your knowledge with the audience. Yeah. Thank you

1507
00:52:41,394 --> 00:52:42,375
for having me.

1508
00:52:42,835 --> 00:52:44,914
Thanks for listening to this episode. If you

1509
00:52:44,914 --> 00:52:46,675
are a high achiever with a sex addiction

1510
00:52:46,675 --> 00:52:48,434
and you're looking for a recovery group full

1511
00:52:48,434 --> 00:52:51,579
of like minded men, visit successfuladdict.com.

1512
00:52:51,579 --> 00:52:54,380
We provide men with a recovery mastermind group

1513
00:52:54,380 --> 00:52:55,599
using four day retreats,

1514
00:52:55,980 --> 00:52:58,719
weekly group calls, and daily accountability check ins.

1515
00:52:58,780 --> 00:53:01,019
If you wanna achieve long term sobriety and

1516
00:53:01,019 --> 00:53:02,940
save your marriage, go to our website and

1517
00:53:02,940 --> 00:53:03,839
fill out our application.

1518
00:53:04,219 --> 00:53:06,824
If you enjoyed this episode, please pass it

1519
00:53:06,905 --> 00:53:08,264
along to a friend in recovery who would

1520
00:53:08,264 --> 00:53:10,264
benefit from listening. It is my mission to

1521
00:53:10,264 --> 00:53:11,945
get this information out to as many high

1522
00:53:11,945 --> 00:53:14,264
achievers as possible, and I can't do it

1523
00:53:14,264 --> 00:53:15,244
without your help.

41. Is “Recovery” Preventing You From Recovering?

There’s this problem in the sex and porn addiction space… People treat it like a substance addiction, but it’s not. Recovering from a process addiction is very different from recovering from a chemical dependency on... Continue

Before you go!

Download your "Recovery Checklist" and give it to your wife: