How to move on after I got back with my ex wife?

We separated because I didn't forgive her after she disrespected me. I decided to leave her only to find out we love each other. We got back to each other.
Asked by Brown
Answered
11/17/2022

Hi there, I am glad that you reached out.

It sounds like you and you partner have been through a lot. I don't know the full context of your situation including how long you have been together and other relevant history such as what happened that caused you to feel disrespected.

Often times, when someone disrespects us, it can feel like a breach of trust because when we are in a relationship we trust that the other person has our best interests at heart. On the other hand, sometimes we can have trouble with taking things too personally and it can be difficult to communicate with us.

I would make sure that you take a deep look at yourself and spend some time thinking and journaling about times in the past, all the way back to childhood, that we felt disrespected by someone else. It's important that when we ask someone in a relationship to take responsibility for their actions that we are making sure that we are also taking responsibility for ours.

I would work to heal any last memories that bring up intense feelings for you, especially those memories in which you felt disrespected. Being disrespected can also make us feel out of control and out of power. I would work on ensuring that you feel deeply rooted and comfortable in your own personal power so that what others think and say doesn't become so impactful to us.

I would then ask your partner to write down their top 5 priorities of things you want to change and/or fix in your relationship together. Then I would write down your top 5 priorities in your relationship that you want to change or improve. Then I would sit down together and agree to be open and vulnerable with each other and establish safety and trust by both committing to really hearing the other person's needs and talk about both your lists of top 5 priorities. Then you can see how you can each support each other. I would each focus on how you can best support each other and start from there. 

(MS, LPC, NCC)