What do you do if your ex-affair partner's spouse wants to talk to you about the affair? Do you owe them an apology or explanation? Is there actually anything you can say to make this person feel any better?

In this episode, I explore the tricky question of what, if anything, you might want to offer the partner of someone you had an affair with. I discuss how to set boundaries that align with your values, share strategies for engaging in difficult conversations, and you’ll learn how to decide exactly what will work best for you if you find yourself in this scenario.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/198

Have you ever reconnected with a former flame and found yourself in an affair, wondering if this is your second chance at true love? When people are engaging in affairs with someone they've been involved with in the past, they tend to see these relationships as an incredibly high-stakes situation.

Tune in this week to look at some of the major challenges of engaging in affairs with old lovers, how you might be inadvertently creating unnecessary drama through the way you think about this relationship, and what you can do about it. Even if you aren't having an affair with a long-lost former lover, you'll be able to see this human tendency to overcomplicate relationships of all kinds laid bare, so you can stop self-inflicted torture in your romantic life.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/197

Are you tolerating aspects of your life and relationship situations that you shouldn't? This week, I dive into what happens when we tolerate things we don’t like, and why we so often think we have to put up with them when we don’t. Find out why so many people don’t want to acknowledge that they are tolerating things they dislike in their affair relationships, the problem with disliking something and not being willing to face it, and what you can do if you are in this scenario.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/196

Something I hear regularly is the belief that relationships that begin as affairs cannot transition into non-affair relationships. A lot of folks I work with are CONVINCED that if they start an affair relationship, it will never be able to get onto “normal” footing, and it is simply doomed to fail. But does this have to be true? Is this what you want to be true for your relationship?

In this week’s episode, I help you disentangle a few things about your affair relationship, address the misconception that relationships that start as affairs and transition into non-affair relationships either don’t or can’t last very long, and show you why affair relationships can, in fact, last a lifetime.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/195

Are you facing doubt in your infidelity situation? Do you want to make a decision but feel uncertain about what the right decision is? Maybe you are unsure whether to end things with your marriage and pursue a relationship with your affair partner. Maybe you don’t know whether your marriage is worth fighting for. Maybe you worry about the impact that exposing your affair or leaving your committed relationship will have on the people you love.

This week, I show you how to deal with doubt in your infidelity situation and why you need to be willing to look at the thoughts you currently hold about the options available to you. Find out where doubt comes from, why you experience it in the first place, and how to stop overcomplicating the decision-making process and start making decisions that feel good to you.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/194

If you are married or in a long-term relationship and also involved with someone else, there may be one big question on your mind when you think about ending your committed relationship: what exactly do you owe yourself, your partner, or your relationship before you can decide to leave it?

This week, discover why you feel so much pressure to try everything before leaving your committed relationship and what to do to avoid staying stuck in limbo when you feel this way. I share some actions you can take if you are holding back from leaving your committed relationship simply because you feel like you owe it something, and why deciding you no longer want to be in a relationship is legitimate and doesn’t always mean you have to change something.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/193

Do you ever find yourself fantasizing about your ex-affair partner? Do you torture yourself reminiscing on the wonderful times you shared, and the amazing memories you hold with them, even though the infidelity situation has since come to an end?

Discover the reasons you might still be fantasizing about your ex-affair partner, and how to start to ease your way out of this if you really do want to relegate your memories to the compost bin of history. I share some tips to help you take action that is right for you the next time you notice yourself thinking about your ex-affair partner and the three choices you always have available to you when it comes to fantasizing about your ex-affair partner.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/192

There is a common belief that marriage should last a lifetime. So when somebody decides that they are dissatisfied with life as they know it, and engage in an infidelity situation as a result, it is commonly labeled as a midlife crisis. But what if waking up one morning and deciding you are dissatisfied with your life is a wonderful opportunity to reexamine what you want and what you want to do about it?

This week, I show you why engaging in infidelity isn’t always a symptom of a midlife crisis, and how to establish what is really going on in your life if you are doing this. Find out what so many people believe to be the solution to a midlife crisis, what I believe to be the real solution, and why it does not involve convincing yourself to stick with the status quo and be happy with what you have.

Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/191