Friday, August 19, 2011

Infidelity! While Minnies Away Mickey Mouse Will Play!

Minnie and Mickey Mouse is the quintessential marriage that has withstood the test of time. This perfect union has inspired millions of adults with an indescribable magic, and dazzled children of all walks at America's greatest theme parks. But, rumor has it that the magic castle has crumbled! While Minnie was away at Disneyland Resort Paris, apparently Mickey was seen around town fraternizing with a variety of starlets.

Friends of the couple are sad but trying to be upbeat. Mr. Goofy was heard saying, " Garsh, I thought it would last forever, but still they were together for 78 years. Maybe they can work things out."

Now, of course the story above is purely of a satirical and fictitious nature since it is based on to beloved cartoon characters. But, that leads us to a couple of all important questions:

1. Why are people unfaithful in a relationship?

2. What exactly causes them to stray?

Well, five years ago I set out on a quest to teach people the most effective way of saving a relationship, and I have helped hundreds of people do just that! But, I have also spent the past 5 years helping people save their relationship from the pit of infidelity!

First, before we go any further, let me say that only you can decide to save or end your relationship if your partner has been unfaithful. Sometimes relationships can't and shouldn't be saved - especially when abuse and/or addiction is involved. But, it is my experience that many of them can be saved!

So, why do people stray from a relationship? Well, most people believe that the reason for being unfaithful stems from a moment of weakness concerning sexual desire. However, my experience has taught me something entirely different! In most cases, the partner that is unfaithful attempts to continue with the affair yet refuses to end their marriage or relationship. If it were merely a matter of fulfilling sexual desire, as many believe, there would be no reason to hold onto the marriage or relationship. You see, it actually has very little to do with sexual desire with the one exception being a sexual addiction. Most people stray from a relationship because a particular emotional need is not being met. Therefore, if you want to save your relationship the key is to determine what that need is and correct the situation!

The following provides a brief outline for overcoming infidelity. For additional information you may subscribe to my free E-guide below.

To save your relationship the following criteria must first be present;

1. You are willing to understand why he has strayed, and are willing to correct the problem.

2. You are willing to forgive him for his behavior.

The above criteria are based on the fact that you are the offended partner, if in fact you have strayed from the relationship then it would take your partners willingness to understand and forgive. However, it will also require your willingness to end the affair and cease your behavior.

Why did one of you stray?

In a successful relationship, two partners meet each other's emotional needs. But when these needs go unmet in the relationship, partners are tempted to go outside the relationship to satisfy them. A lack of understanding of what these emotional needs are often contributes to a couple's failure to meet them. Men try to meet needs that they value, and women do the same. You see, often in a failing relationship both partners usually act from their male and female elements respectively, and end up trying to meet the wrong needs. A man does not want a partner that acts strictly from the female element, but rather from a balance of both elements. Sure, he wants a partner that is caring, compassionate, understanding, loving, affectionate, and romantic! Sure, he wants a partner that he is physically and sexually attracted to, but more than anything else he wants a partner that makes him feel like a man! He wants a partner that walks through life with feminine grace.

However, quite frequently in a relationship crisis a women attempts to meet the needs of her partner by showering him with the needs that she values most, such as affection, caring, compassion, understanding and love. At this point in the crisis he has already begun to withdrawal, so taking this approach will only demonstrate that you can't meet his needs, and will prove to be disastrous. Furthermore, the more you continue this approach the more you will drive your partner away, hence seeking fulfillment outside the relationship. Now, I know your probably thinking, but he's the one that had the affair! He's wrong, not me! Well, there is no question that what he did was wrong, but if you want to continue to place the blame squarely on his shoulders then you may as well draw up the divorce settlement agreement, or pull the plug on the relationship right now!!!!

You see, until you are willing to look at what you did or didn't do in the relationship to meet his needs, and how to fix it, he's not going to change and neither is your relationship!!!!!!!!!! What have you done in the relationship that caused his needs to go unmet? Sometimes it does involve a lack of sexual fulfillment and intimacy, although that is generally not the main reason!

If Your Partner was Unfaithful!

If your partner has been unfaithful, he has broken the bond of your relationship and has undermined your trust in him. Certainly, this has caused you to be pelted with a torrential barrage of emotions ranging from, feelings of hurt, betrayal, and anger. You may in fact even feel that he owes you some form of compensation for what he has done, and at times feel like you want to punish him for it! These are common reactions to infidelity by the offended partner, but you will need to move beyond these feeling if you wish to save your relationship. Try and understand that the past is the past, and there is not a darn thing you can do to change it, so holding on to it will only hurt you! Think about it, is the anger and resentment you are feeling inside right now hurting him? No, of course not! It's hurting you! Yes, he was the one that had the affair! Is he wrong for doing so? Yes! But you have got to pull yourself up by the b oot straps, come to the realization that he strayed from the marriage for a reason, and understand that until you're willing to fix the problem nothing in your life or relationship is going to change!

You must ascertain which emotional needs went unmet and ultimately caused him to stray from the marriage. You can do this by reviewing what patterns of self limiting beliefs have sabotaged your relationship, and which forms of family dysfunctions they have originated from. Once you have definitively uncovered the self limiting beliefs, it is then time to uncover how they have prevented you from fulfilling your partner's needs. Have they prevented you from being fully intimate, or have your fears and insecurities caused you to be jealous, suspicious, or controlling? I am sure you can read between the lines, and if you do a bit of reflection you will see that your partner has complained to you about what has gone unmet.

What if you have allowed the affair to continue?

Have you elected to stay in your relationship and permit an affair to continue for your children's sake, or because your scared and afraid? Well, you are not alone because many people often do, in an act of desperation to save their relationship. However, what you don't realize is that your lack of self esteem and self confidence is part of the underlying reason why your partner strayed from the relationship in the first place! Therefore, in essence, you are only confirming to your partner that they were justified for being unfaithful because you have proven to him that you can't meet his needs. Furthermore, by staying in such a relationship under those circumstances you have given him a license to keep you on an emotional roller coaster for years to come. Why should he choose chocolate or vanilla when he can have them both!!!!!!! You see, some of his needs are being met by his paramour, and some of his other needs are being met by you. Therefore, it's no big surprise that he wants to have both!!!

Now, I am not at all suggesting that you give him an ultimatum at this point since that would be like pouring salt in his open wound! However, what I am saying is that after you present your statement of agreement you will need to begin to send him subtle messages that will state that you don't condone his behavior and that you arent going to continue to tolerate it. As you manage the dynamics of the relationship, and time goes on, you will need to make the message progressively stronger. You want to arrive at a particular juncture of the choice between chocolate and vanilla, although the way to get him to choose that is by attraction, rather than force. In addition to sending him subtle messages of intolerance, you must also avoid becoming part of his behavior or enabling his affair.

The following statements provide a few examples of how to deliver the message of intolerance;

1. If your partner makes an attempt to be intimate or affectionate towards you. Simply state that you do not feel comfortable with that, and you are not going to participate while he is involved in a relationship with another partner!

2. If your partner attempts to introduce your children to his paramour. State that doing so is not in the children's best interest, and you are not going to permit them to be subjected to such behavior!

3. If you partner attempts to discuss his paramour with you. Explain that you do not feel comfortable holding a discussion with him about the person that he is continuing to have an affair with, and remove yourself from the room!

Your compensation!

Is not at all uncommon for the offended spouse to want some form of compensation for the infidelity their partner has committed, although to often this leads to a mindset of seeking punishment or revenge! You must be willing to let go of the resentment you are holding onto, and be willing to forgive your partner, or you will destroy any chance you have of saving the relationship. Your prize or compensation will be attracting your partner back on your terms, and having the relationship that you've always dreamed of!!!

If you have Been Unfaithful!

If you have been unfaithful to your partner, and have broken the bond and trust of the relationship, you will need to regain their trust and their forgiveness. Unfortunately, this is not an easy undertaking, but can be achieved when approached in the correct way. Obviously, you strayed from the relationship because some of your needs were unmet, but for the moment I would like you to put that aside! You see, when your partner first learns of your infidelity they will be experiencing a plethora of emotions, which includes the emotions of anger and resentment. They will feel that you've betrayed them, and in many cases will want to punish you, and will even expect to be compensated for your actions. Therefore, now would not be a good time to express your unhappiness in the relationship, and your needs being unmet as the direct cause of your infidelity! To do this would be th e equivalent of pouring salt in their open wound. Therefore, you should do exactly the opposite, agree with them! You should draft a statement of agreement, which demonstrates your awareness of the fact that you strayed from the marriage, and it should include anything else that your partner blames you for in the relationship.

For more information on drafting a statement of agreement subscribe to my Free E-Guide "The Secret Principles to Saving a Relationship."

This will defuse much of the anger and hostility they feel towards you, although they will continue to express their desire to punish you, or to be compensated for your actions for some time. The absolute worst thing that you can do is to feed into their power play! Do not attempt to over row the relationship boat by jumping to their beckon call, as this will only prolong their efforts to punish you and will worsen the relationship crisis. After you present your statement of agreement to your partner, you should stick to happy talk, or short, pleasant, conversations that don't involve any serious talk about the relationship or the infidelity. If your partner attempts to punish you in someway, you should avoid commenting about it, and remove yourself from the situation by stepping back.

You must subtly send them a message that you are not going to allow them to punish you, and nor will you let their actions affect you. This should not be accomplished by arguing with them, or by finding fault with their actions. When your partner begins to realize that their attempts at punishing you have proven to be fruitless, in all likelihood they will cease their behavior. Once your partner has put down their guns, and has ceased the incessant behavior then and only then will you be able to move forward with saving the relationship. Continue to be pleasant and seize every opportunity to engage in short, happy conversation. However, do not make any advances at this point toward romantic endeavors. Be content to take it slowly and let your partner come to you! When he does, show some understanding and compassion for what he is feeling.

Do not defend yourself, or attempt to justify what you have done! Tell him that you agree and understand how he feels, and that you are sorry for the pain you have caused him. However, you must remain confident. Do not plead or beg for forgiveness! Remember, desperation is not attractive to anyone.

Ok, you've got him gravitating back to you, so now what? Well, if you're looking for you partner to come to you and ask how he could fulfill your needs, it is unlikely that will happen! Let me say that this is going to take some patience on your part, and for now you should be content with allowing your partner to dictate the speed at which the relationship progresses. Be patient, and just be your happy, confident self!

In the mean time, let's get started on the real work that is going to transform the relationship! The end goal is to get your partner to change so that he can meet your needs, right! But that it's probably not going to happen by you telling him to! Yes, he has contributed to your failing relationship and your infidelity, but the bigger question is how have you contributed to it? What have you done that caused him to withdrawal and not meet your emotional needs? You see, the way to get him to change is by changing your side of the equation. As a matter of fact it's the only way!

For more details on drafting a statement of agreement or how to save a relationship subscribe to my Free E-Guide and weekly E-Zine.

Saving Relationship

Best wishes,

David Roppo


Infidelity All Rights Reserved

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