Living and Loving after Betrayal: How to Heal from Emotional Abuse, Deceit, Infidelity, and Chronic Resentment

Description

Betrayal has many faces, including anger, abuse, deceit, and infidelity. If you've recently left a relationship where you felt betrayed by your partner, you may have difficulty moving on. In fact, it can seem impossible to view the world without the shadow of this past betrayal hovering over you, and as a result you may struggle to create meaning in your life and build new, loving relationships. In Living and Loving after Betrayal, clinical psychologist and anger management expert Steven Stosny offers you effective tools for healing based on his successful program, CompassionPower. This program was founded on the belief that individuals and societies are more powerful when compassionate than when angry or aggressive, and that true strength comes from relating compassionately to others and remaining true to your deeper values. In this book, you'll learn practical strategies for overcoming betrayal-induced trauma and chronic resentment using this compassionate approach. Most books on betrayal only focus on the big issues, such as infidelity, abuse, or sex addiction. This book explores all of these topics, but also explores less-talked-about betrayals, such as emotional manipulation, dishonesty and deceit, and financial betrayal. In addition, this book aims to help you regain a sense of trust in others so that you can eventually find another compassionate person to share your life with. Recovering from the betrayal of partner isn't easy, but there are ways that you can heal and learn to love again.

Steven Stosny, PhD, is founder of CompassionPower, a successful anger management program that he has directed for more than seventeen years. In addition, he has treated more than 6,000 people through his organization, and has trained more than 2,000 therapists all over the world. He is the author of Love without Hurt, You Don't Have to Take It Anymore, and coauthor of How to Improve Your Marriage without Talking about It. He has taught at the University of Maryland and at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and he currently has a blog on Psychologytoday.com. Steven Stosny lives in Germantown, MD.

"Living and Loving after Betrayal offers a strong rope out of the quicksand of misery and despair that couples sink into after a betrayal. Stosny's guide to healing the heartache of betrayal is the most helpful I have seen in twenty-five years of clinical practice." --Ronald J. Coughlin, EdD, licensed psychologist with twenty-five years in full-time private practice "Since a pain-free life isn't possible, we need to understand and follow the wisdom provided in Living and Loving after Betrayal. Stosny, one of today's most highly respected relationship experts, understands how to grow and have a more satisfying life after being deeply hurt by others. This is a deceptively simple tool kit for effectively handling the full range of relationship disappointments and heartaches." --Jon Carlson, PsyD, EdD, distinguished professor in the Division of Psychology & Counseling, Governors State University "Stosny has broken new ground for individuals moving forward from any type of betrayal or violation of the intimate bonds of relationships. He takes the reader beyond hurt, even beyond healing, into the area of personal mastery by way of compassion. This book is a must read for anyone who has felt the pain and disappointment of a once-trusted relationship." --Pat Love, EdD, coauthor of How to Improve Your Marriage without Talking about It and Never Be Lonely Again "This excellent book addresses an often-overlooked aspect of healing from betrayal, and that is self-healing. When people get hurt, their attention usually turns to the perpetrator of the hurt--one's partner. But part of the real work that needs to be done is on one's self. "If you have felt the devastating effects of betrayal, this must-read book will help restore your inner resilience and faith in yourself so you can get through the difficult periods and thrive beyond them. Stosny's workbook-like exercises help you apply what you're learning to your own unique situation. You'll feel like you have a personal coach guiding you to better times!" --Michele Weiner-Davis, author of Divorce Busting and The Sex-Starved Marriage "This is a remarkably wise and compassionate guide to healing from intimate betrayal. It will help you recover the best of yourself rather than remain stuck in anger or anxiety. I will ask my clients to read this book and I will give it to loved ones who are on a healing journey." --William J. Doherty, PhD, professor and director of the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project at the University of Minnesota, and author of Take Back Your Marriage. "In this manual, [Stosny] offers a pathway to recovery based on maxims similar to those found in books such as Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking. ... The book takes readers beyond verbal affirmations to taking actions that provide a meaningful basis for moving ahead with the healing process. ..." --Kirkus Reviews