Treating Infidelity in San Diego

Looking At Infidelity In A Different Light

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Looking At Infidelity In A Different Light. Rethinking Infidelity. Is it cheating if you sleep with other people after having a discussion about opening up your marriage?  Is talking to people on the internet or dating sites considered a betrayal?  There are many reasons why men cheat and other reasons why women cheat.  Whatever the reason, affairs are less about physical sex than they are about desire and the need to feel desired.  As a Marriage Counselor and Affair Recovery Specialist, I hear compelling stories about why boundaries were crossed and why indiscretions were made.

Looking At Infidelity In A Different Light

In Affair Recovery, there are three options discussed with the couples I work with as I guide them through the crisis phase.

Option 1: Status Quo – Do nothing more than what they have been doing.  Internalizing thoughts and feelings and continue to inappropriately act them out through bad behavior.  Never getting the professional help needed to acquire moving forward skills and manage emotions.

Option 2:  Move Forward – With a therapist who specializes in working with couples in affair recovery.  My couples receive a Moving Forward Plan developed specifically for them as every couple has their own set of unique circumstances where they can understand and gain insight into why the affair happened and what is needed to be able to make an informed decision about whether or not they can stay together.

Option 3:  Move On – Separation or Divorce.  I believe you cannot make an informed decision whether to stay together or leave the relationship without undergoing the Affair Recovery process.  Thereby making moving on premature where you may have regrets if you do so.  Divorce makes no room for repair, resilience, and recovery.

In rethinking infidelity, affairs can be a form of self-discovery, a journey for a new or lost identity and a silver lining where couples can develop a newfound relationship filled with content and happiness.  Infidelity is likely to be a symptom of a problem.  Exploring the underlying issues can be an experience for the “cheater” to grow, explore, and transform.

Call me at (858) 735-1139 if you want to talk about rethinking and reframing infidelity.  As awful as an affair can be there can be something positive that comes from it.

 

 

 

 

Why Some Men See Prostitutes

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Why Some Men See Prostitutes.  The definition of a prostitute is a person who engages in sexual activity for payment. Prostitutes are also referred to as sex workers, escorts, and hookers.  Some people are quick to judge these men, especially if they are married and label them as “horndogs, sex addicts, assholes, pigs, and pricks.”  Sex with a prostitute is typically the commodity traded making sex transactional, anonymous or commercial.  Sex with a prostitute can alleviate a lot of psychological problems that men may have with their primary relationships.  Prostitutes are wanted because of their attitude.  They are typically assertive and confident.  They know what to do.  They are, after all, professionals.  Some men go to prostitutes for quick sex, convenience, control or to be controlled, to indulge in a fantasy, or to avoid complications.

As a Marriage Counselor, more than one man has said to me, you don’t pay the hooker to come, you pay her to leave.  Here are other reasons outside of what those trendy relationship magazines write about why some men seek prostitutes.

Love-Lust split (Madonna-Whore complex)  –  Some men have what is referred to as a Love – Lust split. This happens over a course of time where once there was a voracious appetite for sex with their partner can turn into tenderness or even worse, an aversive sexual response to his partner.  Some men manifest an incapability to integrate closeness and sexual passion as there are sexual blocks to his erotic psyche. These men have unhealthy childhood pasts as they have done a bit of codependent caretaking of females in their lives, typically their mothers, experiencing what is known as an intrusion trauma that inhibits physical intimacy with them. Some of these men see prostitutes because their availability is a turn on that frees them from any caretaking responsibilities as they tend to see their wives as “mothers” rather than intimate other or lover.

Another reason to seek services of a prostitute can be due to Performance Anxiety. There’s a myth that men want sex all the time no matter what.  Another myth says it’s a man’s job to be able to please a woman all night long even if he isn’t up to it. Having bought into the oversold definition of male sexuality as being biologically driven, uncomplicated, always ready, and always in search of novelty, comes at a price for some men in the form of being obsessed with performance and having anxiety about it.  This male mystique can turn men to less emotionally complicated forms of sex to include, masturbation, and utilizing sex workers, or prostitutes.  Having sex with prostitutes makes for a level of dissociation that they bring to their sexual proclivities as a response to these uncomfortable emotional pulls.  Time with a prostitute can create a space where insecurities, fear, and anxiety to perform are minimal as the freedom and control they seek in their anonymous partners manages the relational and emotional connection they are trying to avoid.

The appeal of paid sex is the promise that for that specific period of time, the prostitute is on the clock and she’ll take away the complexities of the male sexual myths and ease their life pressures.  For the time paid prostitutes put men at the center of women’s attention relieving them of their sexual vulnerabilities and are relieved of any pressure to perform as they are in the position to fully receive.

As a Marriage Counselor, I have successfully worked with couples whose husbands had cheated on them with a prostitute. In counseling, we talk about the reasons behind the transaction and get to the core problems which lead to helping the couple understand what went down and what is needed to move forward.

Please contact me at 858-735-1139 for more information about being able to move forward from an affair consisting of a sex worker/prostitute or other betrayals.

The Crisis of Infidelity Part I

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The Crisis of Infidelity.  The single most destructive threat to committed relationships is when one of the partners engages in a sexual relationship with another person. This is not an uncommon event. Conservative estimates suggest that about a quarter of women, and a third of men, have violated their marital commitment to their partners. About 65 percent of marriages struck by infidelity end in divorce.

The impact on the lives of those who practice infidelity is enormous. It violates the integrity, trust, and commitment upon which marriage is based. When two people enter into a committed relationship, they make a promise to love and honor each other. This involves making a heartfelt promise to work through the problems that are sure to arise within the relationship. To break that promise means dishonoring the trust of the person who has agreed to live with you and build a life together. When an extramarital affair is discovered, a crisis ensues. Now the question is – can this relationship continue? In more than half the cases, the relationship does end – but, depending on how this crisis is dealt with by both partners, the relationship does have a chance to continue. In some cases, this relationship crisis serves as a watershed event that opens the door to self-examination and honest communication that may put the relationship on stronger ground.  As a Marriage Counselor working in Affair Recovery that is exactly what happens to the couples I help who are committed to the process.  They state despite the difficulty in talking about the affair the sharing of thoughts and feelings brings about a vulnerability that creates an emotional connection between them and they feel closer to each other than ever.  Hence the phrase, “the affair has become the best thing that has happened to us.”

Whether infidelity leads to the negative outcome of the dissolution of the relationship or, at the other extreme, a more positive outcome with a stronger commitment and better communication depends on many factors. An important variable, among others, is whether the partner who cheated came from a family with infidelity. People with parents who were unfaithful are at higher risk for infidelity within their own relationships – although this is certainly not always the case, and many people from these families are determined never to repeat their parent’s mistake. Yet we learn many things in our families of origin, and one of those is to copy the behavior of our parents – and sometimes to act out our unresolved issues.

Young Man On Sofa Looking At Stressed Woman

Another factor that may determine whether a relationship can survive infidelity is the nature of the affair.  Some affairs lack any emotional commitment, while others involve a deeper level of intimacy and connection than is found within the primary relationship. While a marriage or relationship may survive the former, as long as the underlying issues are brought out into the open and worked through, the latter type is not as hopeful. The couple would have to put in a great deal of work to save this relationship.

The serial affair, for example, involves many one-night stands or a series of affairs. This type of affair lacks emotional commitment and intimacy, and the motive is often sexual excitement. These affairs usually occur out of town or away from areas where friends might find out about them. A sex addiction might be present in serial affairs. Although a person who engages in serial affairs is not interested in establishing an emotional investment with his or her partners, there is also a lack of attention paid to the vow of fidelity within the primary relationship – and this is a serious issue that must be addressed if the relationship is to continue.

The more formidable threat to a primary relationship is the romantic long-term affair. In this case, there is an emotional commitment to an outside partner, and some of these affairs can last for several years. If the primary relationship is to have any chance of surviving, the affair needs to come to an end. If the affair were to continue, the straying partner would likely not have the emotional energy or motivation to repair the damage done to the main relationship. Some Hurt Partners, however, allow the affair to go on and pretend not to know about it because they don’t want to end their primary relationship – but the price they pay is a high one.  As a Marriage and Couples Counselor in San Diego, I help couples who are dealing with the aftermath of discovery of an affair and help them sort out what to do next.  I will be discussing the different Types of Affairs in my next Blog which include:

Life Transitions

Unrealistic Expectations

The Cry for Help

Breakdown in Communication

The Exit Strategy

For more information on Infidelity and Affair Recovery please contact me at (858) 735 -1139.

 

What To Do After An Affair Is Discovered

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What To Do After An Affair Is Discovered. You’ve just discovered your husband or wife is having an affair. You’re flush with a range of emotions and are feeling very vulnerable. You’re overwhelmed because you think your relationship – and life as you know it – is over. Couples can survive infidelity. The single best indicator for success is if the affair partner (cheater) is able to provide empathy to the hurt partner where they obtain insight into why this happened and articulate why it won’t happen again. At the same time, the hurt partner needs to manage the range of emotions appropriately as this process takes much time for healing.

As a Marriage Counselor specializing in Affair Recovery, I would urge you to slow down, breathe deeply, and not do anything impulsive. Acknowledge your feelings but don’t act on them.  Try to exercise appropriate behavior as you begin the recovery process.

girl holding a shirt with the imprint of lipstick.

What To Do After An Affair Is Discovered

As a Couples Counselor I provide these helpful steps to help you deal with the discovery of an affair:

    1. Normalize your emotions – You will be on an emotional roller coaster. Don’t ignore your feelings, don’t be in denial about the seriousness of the situation, and don’t exacerbate the situation by telling everyone that your husband (wife) is a lying, cheating, adulterer. Keep it private.
    2. Give each other space – Don’t get into each other’s face and start judging and criticizing. This will accomplish nothing and only produce more bad feelings. Give yourselves the gift of time away from each other to talk to a Couples Counselor; Affair Recovery Specialist, someone who can get you communicating productively and moving forward.
    3. Don’t rush into discussing explicit details – Wait until you get into Marriage Counseling before airing out the dirty laundry. A trained Marriage Counselor will guide you through this awkward and difficult process so that you can make emotionally intelligent decisions on the path for recovery.
    4. Tell only select and trusted people in your life –  Empathic support is vital to the healing process. Don’t isolate yourself. Good friends create and maintain the momentum needed to go through this difficult time.
    5. Seek professional help with a Marriage Counselor – Find a Marriage Counselor who specializes in Infidelity and Affair Recovery. They have the tools and the training you will need to survive and move forward.
    6. Your children see and hear more than you know. Remember, your children are under your protection. They suffer when you speak badly of the other parent, so don’t.
    7. Keep the faith – Your Marriage Counselor may be able to offer more choices than separation or divorce.

Dealing with infidelity can be excruciatingly painful. Focus on understanding where your best interests lie. As you consider your options, don’t wallow in self-pity; be compassionate toward yourself.

Some couples can overcome an affair by looking at the silver lining and make their relationship work, if not better, than ever before.

I specialize in Infidelity and Affair Recovery.  If you want more information about what to do when an affair is discovered, please call me at (858) 735-1139.

 

 

 

 

 

Regaining Your Sex Life After An Affair

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Regaining Your Sex Life After An Affair.  Erotic Recovery is what is referred to as regaining your sex life after an affair.

Is Erotic Recovery possible after an affair?  When infidelity hits home and that ultimate betrayal comes between the two of you who can possibly want to be close to your partner again emotionally let alone physically.  Despite the mixed emotions of wanting to have sex and not wanting to have sex, indulging in sex at this time can be due to the emotional distance the affair has put between the two of you triggering a new and more intense connection.  Many couples are embarrassed to talk about this increase in sexual activity that happens immediately in the aftermath of an affair.  They don’t want their partners to think they are forgiven or the affair is forgotten.  The affair is what makes the sex feel so intense now.  However, not wanting sex at this time is creating a wall between the two of you blocking any desire for any kind of intimacy.

Much therapy on infidelity focuses on trust and forgiveness, overlooking direct repair of the couple’s sexual relationship. Infidelity is an Erotic Injury to a relationship and must be repaired through a step by step erotic recovery process in order for a committed partnership to move forward.  An Erotic Injury means that the partner who has been cheated on experiences an undermining of erotic confidence because of the infidelity (Dr. Tammy Nelson author “The New Monogamy.”)  Sexual self-esteem questions like “Am I still attractive to my partner? or Do I still have what it takes to be in a sexual relationship?” come up and time is needed to regain confidence in the bedroom.  There are stages of erotic recovery to reintroduce sexual connection, reestablish erotic function and renew the relationship.   I help couples in Couples Counseling revive desire and create a new vision of Monogamy for those who choose to stay together after infidelity.

The process includes:

  1. Creating a weekly Sex Date.

  2. Focusing on Sensuality and Touch as the goal instead of Intercourse.

  3. Using nonverbal language to connect during sex.

  4. Appreciating what is working in your sex life rather than what is not working.

  5. Staying present during sex, not thinking about the past or the future.

A new monogamy vision includes a more conscious commitment where the couple creates a monogamy agreement that is renewable and flexible. This new vision of a stronger relationship creates a more sustainable monogamy and a more hopeful future where implicit betrayal moves into empathy and a more passionate, mature connection.  Exploring your erotic life together is a means of continuing to communicate and expand sharing your most authentic self and deepest desires.  Affair recovery when exercised successfully enables individuals to feel heard and seen in a way that they never have until now.  Call me at (858) 735-1139 to learn more about your erotic recovery.