12-Step Support Group for Betrayed Partners

1. S-ANON -The S-Anon International Family Groups are a worldwide fellowship of the relatives and friends of sexually addicted people.  S-Anon is a Twelve-Step program based on the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.  S-Anon’s Twelve Concepts of Service provide guidance in helping partners of sex addicts who have been betrayed by their partner to have a place to process their emotions after the betrayal with other people who have experienced similar circumstances with their partners.  Here is a link to find a meeting near you.

Reading Material for Trauma Recovery

1. Facing Heartbreak: Steps to Recovery for Partners of Sex Addicts - This book offers hope to partners who have been traumatized as a result of being a partner of a sex addict.  The book is a workbook that allows the reader to write down thoughts and feelings.  Since betrayal trauma is so very overwhelming, using a workbook to journal one's thoughts while following an outline in the text that allows one to organize their thoughts and create a plan of healing is often very helpful.  
   • Here is a link to this book.
2. Mending a Shattered Heart: A Guide For Partners of Sex Addicts - Readers have an opportunity to explore whether the person they are in a relationship with is simply behaving badly or truly suffers from a disease called sex addiction. Knowing the difference and knowing what to do about this can be very helpful.  Issues such as whether or not to stay in the relationship, how to set boundaries, and how to keep oneself safe are addressed.  
   • Here is a link for this book.
3. Ambushed by Betrayal: The Survival Guide for Betrayed Partners on Their Heroes’ Journey to Healthy Intimacy.  Ambushed by Betrayal assists with a self-guided process of healing from betrayal trauma, gaslighting, and deception. It assists with helping you to reclaim your balance, wisdom and self-respect while moving forward to make difficult decisions in your life. 
   • Here is a link to the book.
4. After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful- After the Affair teaches partners how to heal themselves and grow from the shattering crisis of an infidelity. Drawing on thirty-five years as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Spring offers a series of strategies that address such questions as: why did it happen?, once love and trust are gone, can we ever get them back?, can I—should I—recommit when I feel so ambivalent?, how do we become sexually intimate again?, is forgiveness possible?, and what constitutes an affair in cyberspace?  
   • Here is a link for this book.
5. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma- This book reviews modern neuroscience to demonstrate that trauma physically affects the brain and the body, causing anxiety, rage, and the inability to concentrate. Victims have problems remembering, trusting, and forming relationships. They have lost control. Using a combination of traditional therapy techniques and alternative treatments such as EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback, and theater, patients can regain control of their bodies and rewire their brains so that they can rebuild their lives. The author uses case histories to demonstrate the process. He includes a resource list, bibliography, and extensive notes.  
   • Here is a link to this book.