It Doesn't Have to Be This Way.
The Restoring Emotional Wholeness Workshop is for wives who are experiencing betrayal trauma. The term 'betrayal trauma' is coined for a wife who is in a relationship with a sexual addict or who has been betrayed by her husband's pornography usage and/or sexual acting out. Remember: this is not your fault! You cannot fix, manage or control his addiction. But there is another path toward healing...
When trust is broken at the core of a marriage, a wife will need individual support along with the safe environment of a community. This workshop will foster and nurture a space where wives can be heard, explore their needs and understand the impact of his infidelity. The intensive will give practical ways to move forward, heal and come out of loneliness. The education and small group discussion are led by top Christian experts including Dr Todd Bowman, CSAT, who is the director of the Sexual Addiction Treatment Provider (SATP) program at Mid America Nazarene University and Anna Jett MS, LMFT who is trained in the ERCEM model of recovery. Here is a recent blog post about betrayal trauma by Anna Jett.
The Details
Sexual Addiction Induced Trauma (SAIT or Betrayal Trauma) includes several symptoms that are too burdonsome for a wife to carry by herself. A few of them include:
Discovery trauma: finding the remnants of his sexual addiction on your own.
Disclosure trauma: the details given by the husband to the wife, which can be partial truths or dribble disclosure over months or years.
Hypervigilance: an 'on-guard' state including triggers that send a wife's body into emotional shock, anger or shut down.
Intrusive memories: dreams or thoughts of the infidelity on anniversary dates or by a certain look on his face.
A wife has been compromised spiritually, psychologically and bodily from an addict's deceptive, compartmentalized behaviors. His defensiveness, avoiding and manipulating over the years may have her feeling like she is 'crazy.' Wives often feel like something is wrong with their identity, that she is at fault somehow or she isn't good enough. These behaviors by the husband are called gaslighting, one of the many tools an addict uses to keep his secrets.
If you are experiencing symptoms such as these, this workshop will help jump start your journey toward healing for your mind, emotions and body: a wholistic approach towards putting the pieces together. There are answers to this suffering you are experiencing. It will take time and commitment. Remember, you are worth it...
The workshop is located in Shawnee, KS at St Joseph Parish. The presentations and group work are located in a confidential part of the parish campus, away from the church. The fee includes meals for Thursday lunch/dinner, Friday lunch/dinner and Saturday lunch. If you are flying into KCI, please come Wednesday evening as the workshop starts at 9am on Thursday morning. St Joseph is only about 25 miles from the airport. As for your flight home, since the workshop ends at 3 pm Saturday, please schedule your flight for after 6 pm.
Lodging options are listed below. You are welcome to stay with a friend or family member if coming from out of town. You do not necessarily have to tell them the type or name of the workshop if you are not comfortable or the person will not understand. Letting them know it is a retreat is enough information.
Nearby Hotel
The fee for the 3 day intensive is $1300.
Please note that our fee is more affordable than other similar Christian intensives around the country. Scholarships are possibly available, thus contact Michael Ciaccio with further questions about the fees.
Media devices will be limited during the workshop. We ask that you leave your phone turned off during the sessions. The purpose of this is so you can focus on your healing and personal circumstances.
The dress code is casual. Bring a Bible, a journal, or personal devotional materials if you would like. We’ll provide the Restoring Emotional Wholeness workbook, paper and pen.