“Do I even matter to him?” Sarah asked. She told me how she had allowed Chuck to move home last month and even though he said he loved her he still seemed to be pinning away for his affair partner. She was torn wondering why she even let him come home if his heart was still with her. “Am I a fool for even trying to work on the marriage? Three days after discovering the physical part of the infidelity, we sat down and he told me everything, but he cried when talking about his AP. In the past month he’s taken steps to make things better and he hasn’t contacted his AP, but she has tried to contact him. He says he loves me and he wants to help me heal but the only time he gets emotional is when he talks about HER. Can you imagine how hard it is for me to feel he is really remorseful? It’s making me an emotional wreck. Is it possible that he’s really committed to me and the marriage? At times he seems so depressed and hopeless. Is he really choosing me?”

Overpowering hopelessness engulfs the depressed. Dreams that once lit paths toward an exciting future are extinguished and replaced by the nightmare of consequences that arise from infidelity. Even after an affair ends, the dreams of a life together with the affair partner often remain. These lingering fantasies create a significant barrier for the hurt spouse feeling chosen and for the unfaithful spouse in finding passion for the marriage. It would seem the only remorse, compassion, or life left in the unfaithful spouse is expressed when they share their feelings about what their affair has cost themselves or even their AP rather than their spouse. While troubling, this is very normal within the detox phase of recovery.

If the unfaithful spouse falls in love with the affair partner and feels they've found their soul mate, new dreams are cast for the the future. Dreams that once included their mate are now replaced with those constructed in the fantasy world of the affair that they now believe will bring greater happiness. It’s very common, although not guaranteed, that those involved in affairs come to their senses and begin trying to put their lives back together. While rationally they understand the need to stay and work on the marriage, their feelings lag behind. Rewriting their future creates a more significant loss than the loss of their affair partner. They may finally be able to see the flaws in the other person, but the dreams of how their life would be are still appealing.

Knowing something is not true doesn't necessarily make the allure of what they imagined dissipate. I can know the truth and and even act on that truth, but it doesn't always feel true. For instance: I know that when I wrong my wife an apology from me will help mend our relationship. Therefore, when I’ve neglected her thoughts or feelings I may choose to apologize. Just because I know this truth and chose to act on it does not change the fact that I feel that apologizing will humiliate me. Pride drives that feeling, so I choose to act on truth instead. Though an unfaithful spouse may know the right thing is to return home, end the charade and work on the marriage, the thought of doing so may produce feelings of confusion and rage.  

If the unfaithful spouse erases their dreams of future happiness with their mate, they will seem more hopeless in the short run. It certainly doesn't mean they don't love their mate. Love is a choice and choosing love in the absence of feeling in no way diminishes the depth of love. It does however impact how that love might be perceived by the betrayed spouse.

Doing what you know to be right is difficult indeed if, due to a loss of vision, you can no longer trust your feelings. It's like flying an airplane in the dark; you know how the plane is flying by the instrument readings. You also know if you ignore the instruments and fly by what you feel to be right you'll crash the plane. You must follow what you know to be true, not what you feel.  All too often I see unfaithful spouses who have tried to “do the right thing” but they don’t feel it is doing any good. They wear out and give up and cave into chasing fragile, disjointed feelings instead of pursuing what is real and lasting. Feelings are wavering and deceptive, and there is far too much at stake to be guided by our feelings alone.

After an affair often, if the unfaithful spouse seems to be grieving the loss of their affair, the hurt spouse feels as if they've made a colossal mistake. It's easy to assume they aren't committed, but that may not be true. More often than not the root problem isn't a lack of commitment to the marriage but a lack of shared vision.

This isn't just a problem for the unfaithful spouse. Dreams of the future for the betrayed spouse aren't simply rewritten, they are shattered. The impact of the betrayal causes them to question their past, their judgement, their image of the person they married, their present and their future. The devastation of infidelity isn't their only barrier; they've also lost their vision of how life was going to be. The same hopelessness demoralizes both partners leaving both grasping for shared dreams that could energize their life together.

That isn't to say couples have to always feel passionate about their future together. But in the absence of passion, at the very least, they need to be committed to doing the next right thing. At the same time they need to once again begin dreaming together and be willing to imagine a life together both would enjoy. Recovery is hard, but it doesn't have to remain passionless.

After an affair for the unfaithful spouse, moving forward isn't just about terminating their affair. It's recreating a future vision with their mate. Recovery for the hurt spouse isn't just grieving and forgiving, it requires the courage to once again dream with their mate regarding what they want, and creating shared vision for their life. There is one caveat here: You must address the initial trauma of the betrayal before you can begin healing the relationship itself. Once you have found some outside help and are able to talk rationally with one another, casting a new vision for your future will be extremely helpful in giving you something worth working towards.

Here is a jumping off point for those who need to create an exciting vision of meaning and purpose. To create new vision you first have to discover your mate all over again. This is certainly not a definitive list of everything that can or should be discussed, but it’s a great start. When you’ve finished set aside more time to talk about your goals for your life.

This exercise is to be shared together. Schedule time together to go through each question. I suggest finding a minimum of thirty minutes at a time. You could consider skipping your favorite television program to begin the process. You will not be able to complete this in a single setting and it might take weeks to complete, but the effort is worth it. Try to be as open and honest as possible.

Take turns going first in answering the questions. There are no right or wrong answers. This will cause you to consider your future with one another. It’s well worth the time.

1)    These things have made me proud….

2)    As a child these were the things I dreamed of…

3)    These things I have yet to accomplish, but hope to do…

4)    These things I hope for during my life…

5)    These things I fear…

6)    These things have caused me the most personal embarrassment or shame in life…

7)    These people I have admired… (why)

8)    In the past 24 hours these things I could have improved on…

9)    Theses things have challenged me… (at least 5)

10)  These beliefs have guided me…

11)  In my heart of hearts this is the type of spouse I want to be…

12)  These things I still hope to experience in life…

13)  These are unfulfilled dreams I have for you…

14)  These sufferings I’ve seen you endure…

15)  These things I hope for you…

16)  These things I admire about you…

17)  These goals I still hold for you…

18)  These strengths I see in you…

19)  These are the hopes I have for you…

20)  I see these wounds in you…

21)  These events have molded me…

22)  These wounds I have healed from…

23)  As I go forward in life I would like to become more…

24)  This is how I’d like to be remembered when I’m gone…

25)  Growing up these were my biggest hurts...

26)  As a child this is what I was most ashamed of…

27)  In our marriage these things have made me proud…

Creating new vision requires a desire to understand your mate rather than getting your mate to understand you. Take the time to dream about the life you’d both like to have. This will put you on the path towards a shared vision, but it will most likely require some outside help to truly heal. Consider EMS Weekend to learn from other couples in the same situation and grow together as a couple.