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#2603920 03/09/12 12:07 PM
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My husband had an affair and he is going through the "withdrawl" period and it hurts so much to see him so gloomy, serious face, and so emotionally distant from me.

My question is what can do for him to make his withdrawl period easier for him. I understand it will take time for him to come back to his old self but I just wish I could help in some sort of way.

One thing I'm certain of is I'm not letting go and will fight for my marriage.

Can anyone help me with some advice.

thank you!

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Welcome to Marriage Builders, healingwife. I am sorry for the reasons that bring you here.

Has your husband ended ALL contact with the OW? Is she married, and if so, have you told her husband? Has the affair been exposed to your family circle?

When was his last contact with the OW?


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


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Hi MelodyLane,

Yes, he ended ALL contact with the OW last week. No she is a single mother. His last contact with her was last week when he ended the relationship.

He's been so out of it since last week. Irritable, moody, meloncholy...he does snap out of it at times but the last two days he has not. I've tried cheering him up with encouraging words, being extra nice, I'm very mindful of his feelings and his withdrawl period but I just wish their were something else I could do to make that process pass by quicker. I hate to see him like that and I hate ALL THIS!!!!

Last edited by healingwife; 03/09/12 12:19 PM.
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Originally Posted by healingwife
My question is what can do for him to make his withdrawl period easier for him. I understand it will take time for him to come back to his old self but I just wish I could help in some sort of way.

This advice will sound strange if you are not familiar with MB.

You help WH by keeping the marriage safe & keeping OW and WH completely apart.
You make certain this is happening.
You do not trust WH to keep OW at a distance.
You continue to monitor WH's activities without his permission/knowledge.
GPS his car.
Keep tabs on all family money.
Spyware his computer.
Make certain WH gives you all his passwords.
You do 'spot checks' of his activities in every way possible.

WH will not get through withdrawal if he has even a small 'peek' or 'whiff' or 'sounds' of OW.

Watching WH like a hawk is helping him recover from his adultery addiction.


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HW, Pepperband is correct, it is important to watch him like a hawk and make sure there is no more contact. In the meantime, I would get the books Survivng an Affair and the workbook, Five Steps to Romantic Love and start formulating a plan to transform your marriage. Having no plan is a plan to fail. Here is what it will take to turn this around:

Originally Posted by Dr Bill Harley
The plan I recommend for recovery after an affair is very specific. That's because I've found that even small deviations from that plan are usually disastrous. But when it's followed, it always works. The plan has two parts that must be implemented sequentially. The first part of the plan is for the unfaithful spouse to completely separate from the lover and eliminate the conditions that made the affair possible. The second part is for the couple to create a romantic relationship, using my Basic Concepts as a guide.

I'll describe these two parts to you in a little more detail.

The first step, complete separation from the lover and eliminating the conditions that made the affair possible, requires a complete understanding of the affair. All information regarding the affair must be revealed to the betrayed spouse, including the name of the lover, the conditions that made the affair possible (travel, internet, etc.), the details of what took place during the affair, all correspondence, and anything else that would shed light on the tragedy.

This information is important for two reasons: (1) it creates accountability and transparency, making it essentially impossible for the unfaithful spouse to continue the affair or begin a new one unnoticed, and (2) it creates trust for the betrayed spouse, providing evidence that the affair is over and a new one is unlikely to take its place. The nightmares you experience are likely to continue until you have the facts that
will lead to your assurance that your husband can be trusted.

An analysis of the wayward spouse's childhood or emotional state of mind in an effort to discover why he or she would have an affair is distracting and unnecessary. It takes precious time away from finding the real solutions. I know why people have affairs: We are all wired for it. Given certain conditions, we would all do it. Given other conditions, however, none of us would do it. So the goal of the first step is to discover the conditions that made the affair possible and eliminate them.

After the first step is completed, the second step is to create a romantic relationship between you and your husband using my 10 Basic Concepts here
as your guide. While your relationship may be improving, it won't lead to a romantic relationship because you are not being transparent toward each other. Unspoken issues in a marital relationship lead to a superficiality that ruins romance.

Your nightmares are only the tip of the iceberg. They are but a small reflection of the suffering you experienced when you discovered your husband's affair, and the fear you have that the suffering will be repeated. You have no assurance that the affair is over because you don't even know who the other woman is. You are being asked to trust your husband, who has already proven to be untrustworthy. For all you know, he could be working with her, or you could be going to the same church, or she could be
your neighbor. And since he won't discuss the details of how the affair took place, you have no assurance that another affair will not take its place.

Infidelity is not something that can be swept under the rug. While those who have affairs want to forget about it and move on, those who are betrayed must take very specific steps before they can fully recover. In your case, those steps have not been taken, and as a result, your fear persists. I will send you a complimentary copy of my book, "Surviving an Affair," if you send me your address. It will describe these two steps to you and provide you with a roadmap toward full recovery. But the path will require full disclosure of all details.


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


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FYI: OW is an another country so the relionship was only through email or phone calls. I do have passwords to everything, needless to say he was really good to keep it from me. the relationship with OW was not for long just a couple weeks I would say. Plus its a loooooong story of how that came about as well

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Originally Posted by healingwife
FYI: OW is an another country so the relionship was only through email or phone calls. I do have passwords to everything, needless to say he was really good to keep it from me. the relationship with OW was not for long just a couple weeks I would say. Plus its a loooooong story of how that came about as well

Do you have a keylogger on his computer now? If not, I would look into eblaster. That will be an invaluable resource.


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


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whatever emailing that was done happened on his computer at work that I do not have access to. my main concern and that I can access is his cellphone, but I feel aweful downloading a software on his phone and later he find out and will get upset. I'm certain he would not agree with it either. If I do download a software it will easily be detected as an app or anything of that sort.

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Don't be trusting.
That's foolish.

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you have to be sure of what you are dealing with, you already know he can and will make decisions that don't have your best interests at heart........this is the first step.
you should be clued in when he does seem to be in a better mood, it may be because he has spoken to her........
listen to melodylane and put together the first part of saving your marriage.....the rules have changed now........you have to protect yourself and your marriage first.........


BW 56
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Married 25 years, live together for 2, dated 2 years before that.....
DS 23, DS 25
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If he is truly committed to recovery he won't be upset.


Me: WH 44
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Originally Posted by healingwife
whatever emailing that was done happened on his computer at work that I do not have access to. my main concern and that I can access is his cellphone, but I feel aweful downloading a software on his phone and later he find out and will get upset. I'm certain he would not agree with it either. If I do download a software it will easily be detected as an app or anything of that sort.

He won't get upset unless has something to hide. And he should not know that you have spyware on his computer or cell phone. IT is real important that you watch him like a hawk..


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


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Have you exposed his affair? I am about to do an exposure because everyone has said how VERY IMPORTANT it is to preventing another affair and from stopping the old affair. They recommend exposure even though my WH's OW were far away too.

I see the importance of the exposure now -- if he feels the disapproval of all his friends and family after commiting this wrongdoing, he will be much more reluctant to do it again. Plus, other's will be watching his actions, not just you.


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I could have written your post. I am in the exact situation and know what you are going through. You can see my earlier thread. I just wanted you to know you are not alone.


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Originally Posted by healingwife
FYI: OW is an another country so the relionship was only through email or phone calls. I do have passwords to everything, needless to say he was really good to keep it from me. the relationship with OW was not for long just a couple weeks I would say. Plus its a loooooong story of how that came about as well
Can you tell us a little more about how the A started? How did they know each other? Does your WH have a Facebook account? How did you find out?


D-Day 2-10-2009
Fully Recovered and Better Than Ever!
Thank you Marriage Builders!


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