Can We Repair After a 25 Year Affair?

None of the voices in this series are ongoing patients of Esther Perel. Each episode of Where Should We Begin is a one time counseling session. For the purposes of maintaining confidentiality, names and some identifiable characteristics have been removed, but their voices and their stories are real. Support for the show comes from Shopify. Every worthwhile journey starts with a handful of what ifs. But one day, you'll be able to look back and realize that all those what ifs were small steps towards turning your dream into a thriving business. Shopify can help you get there. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all ecommerce in The US. Join them and turn those what ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com/voxbusiness. Go to shopify dot com slash vox business. That's shopify.com/voxbusiness. It's true that some things change as we get older. But if you're a woman over 40 and you're dealing with insomnia, brain fog, moodiness, and weight gain, you don't have to accept it as just another part of aging. And with Mitty Health, you can get help and stop pushing through it alone. The experts at Mitty understand that all these symptoms can be connected to the hormonal changes that happen around menopause. And Mitty can help you feel more like yourself again. Many healthcare providers aren't trained to treat or even recognize menopause symptoms. Middi clinicians are menopause experts. They're dedicated to providing safe, effective, FDA approved solutions for dozens of hormonal symptoms, not just hot flashes. Most importantly, they're covered by insurance. Ninety one percent of Middi patients get relief from symptoms within just two months. You deserve to feel great. Book your virtual visit today at joinmidi.com. That's join,midi,.com. They met for the first time on the day of their engagement. They are an arranged marriage. They had been promised to each other as teenagers. They came to The United States together to hope for the American dream, which they got to experience. And in the midst of this lives a twenty five year affair. I lied to her many times, hiding. When she found out, It was really painful. Sometimes I wish I never found out. The fact that so many times he denied and he was caught and he was not honest is very disturbing to me. They are upstanding members of their community. They have large families. And I'm mentioning all of this because to understand the role of the affair is to understand its ripple effects on all these other relationships. And the questions of secrecy and transparency need to be mapped against this whole backdrop. The role of the therapist is to meet people where they are at and to accompany them wherever they choose to go because they are the only ones who will live with the consequences of their decisions. In this couple, the woman very clearly says to …