Wow, I disappear to work for a little while and now there is all sorts of information to sift through.
First...
How do you know that he has not faced it..is not facing it?
I just know. Yes, he has said he is sorry - not necessarily for anything specific, but he has said he is sorry many times.
I will share that I came to learn that there were many things that I did not need to know..the truth about some things was more painful than I could handle...he was rightly protecting me as Hs protect their wives...
How can you protect someone from the truth? Doesn't having secrets and unknown personal history create a barrier between us?
Now, if you could just say to your husband, I would like you to just sit and listen. I don't want you to do anything. You don't have to respond. I'm not expecting anything out of you except to hear me. I just want you to know what I am feeling and comfort me.
I suppose I need to just tape that to my forehead for future usage. It gets very hard to say it that way when emotions are running high. Maybe in those situations I could just keep my mouth shut and keep pointing to my forehead.
Say I am hurt that there was someone else besides me. I am hurt that there we couldn't have honest communication between us. (If you need to discuss him, use and inclusive "WE" or "OUR".) I am hurt and scared because of what has happened in our lives. (Stay away from specific details, keep to feelings, it makes it harder for the other person to come back to argue when you are talking feelings are opposed to specifics). It would help me to have honesty and intimacy in our lives. I want us to have a healthy and open relationship where we can share with each other. But to do that I feel I need to know the truth and I'm willing to listen in and open, caring manner (and you have to follow through, no attacks, again creating a safe environment for him to talk.) I feel I have dealt with half truths and they hurt and I want to get past all that. What do I can I do to listen?
I have said all of those things.
Sometimes the reason the WH does not want to open up is they fear creating more pain, not only for themselves, but for the BS. It's that fear that holds them back from discussing that affair.
I understand that. I will quip with the fact that fear of the unknown is pretty scary. The actions that hurt me have already taken place. I just don't know about them. I know they are there, so I am still hurt. Will it just cause even more pain? Hmmm...I don't know. Pain is pain, right? Maybe I should point to the smiley (or not) face that is the closest to indicating my pain for him, like they do at the emergency room?
In my opinion, the most important criteria that my FWW had to subscribe to with no exception was radical honesty.
I hold the same opinion. Unfortunately, that boundary has been broken several times.
We know longer sweep anything under the rug. We just chose to address things at more appropriate times.
He is working on this. The interim is difficult for me, though.
In order for them to really own the A and to forgive themselves which will help their BS heal and forgive, they have to be able to understand fully the deplorable act they engaged in and how that they were able to rationalize that it was okay in order to change their traits to ensure that that pain will never have to be realized again.
Very well stated! This is my definition of "facing it".