Loving Without Losing Yourself

Thanks for listening to Unfiltered: Real Talk about Sex and Love, with Ashley and Heather.
On today’s episode, we answer the following questions:

• After 22 years of marriage marked by pornography addiction, emotional abuse, fear, and deep violations of trust, I’m emotionally done and longing to begin my own healing. My husband’s serious health issues now complicate my decision and leave me burdened with guilt. How do I navigate leaving a harmful marriage with compassion, but without sacrificing my safety, truth, or healing?
• My husband, who is in recovery, has expressed a desire for me to feel visual attraction and curiosity about his body; something I’ve never naturally experienced. I want to meet his needs and love him well, but I’m unsure how to cultivate these feelings. How can I honor his desires while staying true to my own capacity for attraction?
• My husband refuses to get help for his long-term pornography and acting-out behaviors, dismissing the impact on our emotional and spiritual intimacy. Instead, he shifts blame to me for intimacy struggles, while I struggle to connect sexually without true emotional closeness. How do I navigate a marriage where my husband denies the problem yet expects connection on his terms?

If you have a question you’d like us to answer on Unfiltered, email us at unfiltered@puredesire.org We can’t wait to hear from you!