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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

advice for the other woman

31 replies

pennyapples · 15/02/2016 11:38

Don't flame me please. I have a friend who has just come out of an abusive marriage and has embarked upon an emotional affair with a married man. I don't know the details, but I know she is damaged from her marriage - its quite clear that is why she is doing this, she has zero self esteem and is mistaking this for something real. I want to stop her going down this road as quickly as possible. I have read on here recommendations to 'other women' to get themselves to therapy to address self-esteem issues and identify what it is that makes them go there. But where do I start finding the right kind of therapist? Have looked up relationship therapy but that's all for couples. Naturally I'm also talking to her but think this might be beyond me and my advice. She is a good person, I want to see her make the right choices.

OP posts:
stumblymonkey · 15/02/2016 20:15

As well as looking via BACP she can find therapists through Relate. They are more commonly known as relationship/couples therapists however they do therapy for single people too (I went as a single woman).

InstinctivelyITry · 15/02/2016 20:28

she has to put herself in the glass cabinet, not in the bargain bucket tell her. Tell her not to be anybody's half time, down time, part-time, good time

this, this, this, every time.
Speaking from bitter experience, exiting from an abusive, virtually sexless marriage and being 'flattered' into an EA. Fuck that. Caught on sharpish and got rid. Immediate and unequivocal deletion and non-contact.

I agree re building self-esteem and taking time to get better and get the feelings out....

MistressDeeCee · 16/02/2016 06:11

People do what they want to do, I find. Even if they and others put forward excuses about doing that. She may feel strongly emotionally connected to this man, or even love him. She may feel "so what?" regarding affairs, she may just want to see a man with "no ties" do you even know what her moral viewpoints are regarding this? They may not be the same as yours.

Yes her abusive marriage will have affected her, sadly, but this does not mean she can't have a feeling for another man again, even rebound feelings can be strong.. Your friend has to want advice/therapy and I don't believe a therapist can make you unlove someone or go strongly against your own will. They aren't miracle workers nor do they have that kind of control over a person. I think some of the ideas on thread are good tho eg learning to value yourself, which a therapist can help you to do. If she is open to that approach it would be of great help and comfort to her in raising her self esteem

pennyapples · 16/02/2016 08:52

Thank you all. Hers was also a virtually sexless marriage and she is now feeling desired I guess. Have to try and make her see that other people can make her feel like that - available ones.
Morally she is on the same page as me I think although in her suburban world loads of her couples friends marriages have featured affairs - think maybe it's a bit normalised for her.
She was married 20 years, I've been married 4, I guess this hasn't started to happen in my circle yet so I'm more shocked.
She knows it's wrong though.

OP posts:
spudlike1 · 16/02/2016 09:35

Self esteem is the key. Therapy will help with this .

pennyapples · 16/02/2016 15:19

Self esteem. Yep think you are all correct. Thank you.

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