One of my favorite moments as a therapist is when a new client comes into my office and tells me their betrayal story. As I listen, I begin to see in my mind’s eye the way in which this person’s life will change, the freedom they will encounter, how much better their relationships will be and how good they will begin to feel in their own skin if they will enter into the transformation process. I start to glimpse a vision of what is possible for them and it is exciting and hopeful.
The client is usually having a very different experience. They are telling me about the crisis or problem that has brought them to my couch. For them, there is no vision and often very little hope as they are mired down in their troubles and having difficulty finding a way out. For those dealing with betrayal trauma, the shock, pain and anger often overwhelm everything else making any possibility of hope seem doubtful and unlikely.
Yet, what I and many others know is that there is actually an enormous amount of hope available for betrayed partners. Hope for them. Hope for their partner. Hope for their relationship. (Sometimes not all three – but always at a minimum the first one.)
This hope is not just a pie in the sky wish. It is grounded in the fact that there is a process available for healing from betrayal. There are steps and tasks and tools and information all available to guide you from the initial chaos of devastation to a place where you are actually…dare we say it…flourishing.
The Braving Hope™ Process describes six key phases, breaking down the process of healing from partner betrayal into small steps on the path and providing you with authentic hope for each stage of the journey as you move through that process.
Everything you’ll find here on michellemays.com is designed to give you a foothold in the healing process. You’ll find resources, tools and support to guide you on the journey as well as supportive communities for you to participate in.
There are six phases in the Braving Hope™ Process: devastation, realization, stabilization, re-imagining, creating and flourishing. The Authentic Hope Blog includes collections of posts for each phase that will help you to examine the common experiences and burning questions that betrayed partners encounter along the way.
About the Author:
Michelle Mays is a Licensed Professional Counselor and expert in treating sexual betrayal and trauma. She’s also the author of the new book The Betrayal Bind: How to Heal When the Person You Love the Most Has Hurt You the Worst. Michelle has created a new treatment model to address the devastating dilemma that betrayed partners face when their significant other is unsafe to connect to, yet connection is the key to healing.
Braving Hope™ is a ground-breaking coaching intensive for betrayed partners around the world. Working with Michelle will help you to move out of the devastation of betrayal, relieve your trauma symptoms and reclaim your life.
