How can you remain friends after an intimate affair? Why do people cheat in the first place? How might the presence of children factor into your decision-making about leaving your relationship for your affair partner? Are you worried about the financial damage of leaving your marriage for your affair partner? Dr. Marie Murphy is answering these questions and more on today’s show. Discover how to deal with other people’s opinions about your infidelity or your new relationship, how to navigate fam...
Aug 10, 2023•56 min
Dr. Marie Murphy is doing something new this week. She is explicitly calling someone out for their perspective on an infidelity-related topic in an otherwise generally entertaining newspaper column. In this case, it was an opinion about what to do if you see your ex-affair partner out in a social setting. Learn about the importance of dropping judgment when it comes to making decisions around your infidelity, as well as how to deal with the worry that you’ll lose it when you see your former affa...
Aug 03, 2023•38 min
Can you keep a long-term affair going alongside your marriage? What has to happen for this situation to work out? Do cheaters always get found out? What do you do when you decide you don’t want to cheat anymore, but you can’t seem to stop? These are just some of the questions addressed in today’s show. Discover why it’s possible to continue a long-term affair without ever getting caught. Learn how to deal with your physical desire to cheat being opposed to a decision you’ve made to stop cheating...
Jul 27, 2023•41 min
If you're concerned about justifying your decision to end the relationship, being honest without being cruel, the honesty of your affair partner, or feeling trapped in conflicting emotions, this episode is for you. Discover the truth about providing compelling reasons for the choices you make. Dr. Marie Murphy is addressing questions from both sides of an infidelity situation, highlighting the problem with solely focusing on the positive aspects of a situation, and sharing how to make decisions ...
Jul 20, 2023•40 min
If you find yourself in a situation where you feel you've made mistakes in your relationship and desire to end it but worry about how others will react to your decisions, if you have concerns or doubts about your sexuality as you age, or if you're struggling with the consequences of infidelity, Marie has you covered this week. Discover how to deal with wanting to leave your relationship, why you don’t owe anyone a justification for your decisions, and how to deal with other people’s reactions. D...
Jul 13, 2023•29 min
Whether you're struggling with your thoughts and expectations of your partner, avoiding looking at your thoughts about your situation, or grappling with other people's judgments about your infidelity, Marie has you covered. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing everything you need to know about your thoughts and feelings, what you need to consider when it comes to other people's thoughts and feelings, how it's possible to have a caring relationship with an ex-spouse, and diving into the nuances of all ...
Jul 06, 2023•35 min
There is an idea floating around in the cultural fog that if you tell yourself you're doing something wrong or that doing a particular thing makes you a bad person, you'll be able to change. If you're applying this kind of logic to yourself in your infidelity situation with the hopes that it will help you make a decision or change your behavior, this episode is for you. Discover why you can't shame yourself into changing. Dr. Marie Murphy is showing you how to get clear on the thoughts that have...
Jun 29, 2023•30 min
One of the biggest themes Dr. Marie Murphy's clients struggle with when they come to her for help is making decisions. If you currently believe that there are right and wrong decisions regarding your infidelity situation, this episode is for you. You have the option of lovingly committing to decisions you have made or loving decisions before you make them. Dr. Marie Murphy is showing you some strategies for making decisions that take into account what you really want, and guide you on how to lov...
Jun 22, 2023•36 min
Some people keep their infidelity situations going because they don't know what they want. They think being in this state of not knowing offers them some protection, as they haven't made the difficult decision yet. However, whether you know what you want or not, getting caught would probably be extremely unpleasant. Discover why Dr. Marie Murphy believes that while you might never get caught cheating, you probably shouldn't wait until you do before you start making decisions about what you reall...
Jun 15, 2023•32 min
As humans, we are part of the cosmos, something much vaster than ourselves, and our understanding of it is only partial. However, your infidelity situation could serve as a window into comprehending your one wild and precious life on a deeper level. Discover how understanding your infidelity on a deeper level can give you powerful insight into the human experience as a whole. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing the benefits of exploring the spiritual aspect of your one wild and precious life, especia...
Jun 08, 2023•33 min
Are you viewing your infidelity as an unsolvable mystery, or are you ready to tackle it as a life project, an opportunity for resolution, and personal growth? Your perspective on the situation can greatly impact the outcome. Join us this week to explore new methods to confront and manage infidelity situations. Relationship expert, Dr. Marie Murphy, will provide insightful guidance on how to approach infidelity as a life project, offering a fresh perspective that may make a world of difference in...
Jun 01, 2023•29 min
Some individuals who engage in infidelity express a desire to recommit to their spouse or primary partner, longing for a return to the way things were in their relationship. They may feel tormented by their infidelity while yearning for the past, even though they have been dissatisfied with the relationship for some time. Understand why it is normal to struggle with leaving a relationship in which you have invested heavily. If you are staying in the relationship solely hoping for a return to the...
May 25, 2023•31 min
As a society, we have decided that if you aren’t in a romantic relationship, you are alone. It’s fine to prefer having a partner (or partners) over not having one. However, it’s time to start creating that feeling of contentment for yourself without relying on a relationship in order to feel positive. Discover how to generate contentment without relying on a romantic partner to help you create it. Learn how to spot the thoughts that lead to unhelpful beliefs about the necessity of having a roman...
May 18, 2023•39 min
When it comes to infidelity and loneliness, there are two distinct-but-related problems. One is that as humans, we don’t like feeling lonely. The other is that people will go to pretty extreme lengths to avoid loneliness, like getting into or staying in relationships that they don’t actually enjoy. Discover the role that loneliness might be playing in your infidelity situation. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing how to see whether you’re engaging in or continuing a relationship you aren’t actually e...
May 11, 2023•31 min
Comparison is a normal human behavior, especially if you’re romantically involved with multiple people. There is a time and place to make comparisons, but are the comparisons you’re making between your spouse and your affair partner (or between any two people in your life) helping you in any discernable way? Discover the problem with comparing your spouse to your affair partner. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing why making comparisons doesn’t make decisions easier, how to see where you’re stuck in ...
May 04, 2023•24 min
You get to decide what you share about yourself with other people. If you’re considering telling a new partner about your history with infidelity, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing the work you need to do with yourself before you start disclosing your past infidelity to someone you’re dating, and how to see the end of a past relationship as something other than an indication that you’re horribly flawed as a human. Get full show notes and more informa...
Apr 27, 2023•45 min
Discover how to deal with the idea that there’s something wrong with you because you don’t feel guilty about cheating. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing why you always have the option of changing what you think a particular behavior means, and why guilt isn’t an effective motivator for doing something about your infidelity situation. She’s sharing an exercise to start clarifying your thoughts and feelings about your cheating so you can decide how you want to deal with your situation. Get full show ...
Apr 20, 2023•34 min
When you’re feeling stuck in your infidelity situation, it’s easy to think that the situation is out of your hands and change is becoming increasingly more difficult. What you need is a little tough love so you can see that no matter how long it’s been going on, you are not stuck and you do have the ability to resolve your infidelity situation. Discover what to do if you’ve been stuck in your infidelity situation for a long time and you feel like you’ve already tried everything to resolve it. Ge...
Apr 13, 2023•32 min
No matter how your infidelity situation began, when you decide that whatever you’ve been doing counts as infidelity or cheating, that moment feels like a pretty big deal. You may be totally freaked out, and you may even consider yourself an objectively bad person. The topic of what to do right away when you realize that you are most definitely engaging in infidelity is of the utmost importance. Dr. Marie Murphy is sharing how to stop yourself from freaking out at this moment so you can handle yo...
Apr 06, 2023•40 min
Discover the options available to you if your partner has decided you’ve cheated in your open relationship. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing both sides of the argument, sharing how to empathize with your partner if their view of your open-relationship agreement is different to yours, and she’s laying out how you can move forward together if you decide you want to. Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/134...
Mar 30, 2023•27 min
When someone in a committed relationship has been cheating on their partner and they feel stuck in deciding what they want to do, they sometimes get the idea that they should tell their committed partner, even though they don’t know how they want to move forward. Feeling like you can’t make a decision is excruciating. If you’ve been thinking about disclosing your cheating in the hopes that your partner will break up with you and the expectation that you’ll feel better, tune in this week because ...
Mar 23, 2023•26 min
Is sex important to you in a relationship? If you can honestly acknowledge the extent to which good sex (however you define that) is important to you, making relationship-related decisions you actually feel good about becomes simpler and easier. Dr. Marie Murphy is showing you why you’re not doing yourself any favors when you attempt to deny, minimize, or devalue the significance of a great sexual connection, and telling yourself sex shouldn’t be important to you only makes matters worse. Get fu...
Mar 16, 2023•31 min
When you decide that it’s time to break up with someone you’ve been cheating on, you’ll likely have a lot of questions about how to ensure the person you’re breaking up with does not find out about the infidelity. Dr. Marie Murphy is discussing the benefit of properly preparing for your breakup, why breaking up itself might arouse suspicion of cheating, and some practical strategies for a good breakup so you can deal with anything that comes up in the process. Get full show notes and more inform...
Mar 09, 2023•34 min
Say you and your partner started off as a monogamous couple, but then you started discussing “alternate arrangements” and it turned out that although you were very enthusiastic about the idea of opening your relationship up, your partner really wasn’t. It's not uncommon in these kinds of scenarios for your partner to offer you implicit permission to cheat, or at least pursue sexual connections outside of your relationship. Discover what implicit permission to cheat can look like in your relation...
Mar 02, 2023•25 min
If you’re in the midst of an infidelity situation and you’re confused about what to do next, it’s generally the case that you may be using your mind in ways that are not actually helpful in cultivating the clarity and certainty you crave. Dr. Marie Murphy is showing you how to start intentionally creating clarity and certainty, even if it feels impossible right now, so you can make intentional decisions instead of sitting in the anguish of uncertainty. Get full show notes and more information he...
Feb 23, 2023•30 min
Discover the value of cultivating clarity and certainty for yourself. You’ll hear a story that illustrates this point, and why changing your thoughts based on other people’s opinions or societal norms around your infidelity situation will never produce the certainty and clarity you’re seeking. Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/128
Feb 16, 2023•41 min
Discover why you want to seek out advice from others, and why this might not be the best idea when it comes to your infidelity situation. Dr. Marie Murphy is giving you some useful insights into why it’s not the advice that matters, but what you decide to do with it, and how you think about the results. Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/127
Feb 09, 2023•28 min
Tune in this week to discover why regret is optional, and how you can start preventing or minimizing it when it comes up for you. Dr. Marie Murphy is sharing why getting a handle on your relationship with regret is invaluable in dealing with your infidelity situation, and showing you how to take your preferences and priorities seriously, reducing or even eliminating the possibility of regret. Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/126...
Feb 02, 2023•33 min
If you truly believe you must hide your grief at the end of your affair relationship and not share the reality of what you’re going through with anyone, this episode is for you. Dr. Marie Murphy is sharing how to deal with this situation in a more empowering way than believing you have to operate a certain way, and offering you some practices you can use when you’re in this kind of pain. Get full show notes and more information here: https://mariemurphyphd.com/125...
Jan 26, 2023•38 min
If you’re doing everything you can to make choices you think will make other people happy, this episode is for you. Discomfort and unpleasant emotions are naturally occurring things, and they don’t need to be considered problematic. So, tune in this week to discover how to understand your own discomfort, and begin trusting that other people can handle their uncomfortable emotions so you can make decisions about your affair situation based on what you want instead of trying to keep everybody happ...
Jan 19, 2023•36 min
