In this episode, Mark & Steve respond to a painful situation sent in by a PBSE listener. Her spouse was caught in an affair, which uncovered 6 years of multiple affairs and other sex addiction behaviors. Her addict spouse has been in dedicated recovery for some time now and in that process he has disclosed something that is enormously hard for her to accept. Here's how she describes it—
"What he has shared in his recovery journey is that for the first time, within some of his acting out relationships, he was able to talk openly about his sexuality and find 'acceptance' [and his true sexual identity] within that (and yes, that is hard for me to hear). He can now see that that openness did not lead to true intimacy within those relationships but what he hopes for is that we may be able to move forward and build more openness into our relationship. So I guess that 'piece of himself' he doesn't want to lose is rooted in open communication. I can see some sense in that, but as a betrayed partner it is hard to find a way through, knowing where this has come from. It would feel simpler if he was saying that everything about his addiction was something he wanted to recover from and leave behind."
Mark & Steve talk openly about their own experiences with this concept of "finding a piece of ourselves" while engaged in addiction. What does this mean and how in the world can anything "good" come from the "living Hell" that addicts create through their bad choices?
Learn more about Mark and Steve's revolutionary online porn/sexual addiction recovery and betrayal trauma healing program—"Dare to Connect!" You have live access to Mark and Steve in 3 one-hour sessions every week—addicts, spouses and couples! And live support groups on weekends, facilitated by Mark and Steve! To try a free, 2-week trial, visit—daretoconnectnow.com
Find out more about Steve Moore at: Ascension Counseling
Learn more about Mark Kastleman at: Reclaim Counseling Services