A short panel-style discussion (Penny, Steven, Ashley) about whether women who completed the earlier edition of the Betrayal and Beyond program should go through the new version. Speakers explain the new edition contains substantial revised and new material (streamlined journal, added videos, podcast suggestions, new research on betrayed spouses’ brain/body), and encourage viewing healing as an ongoing journey and opportunity to lead groups even after completing earlier work.
What if a woman has gone through the previous version of Betrayal and Beyond and maybe answer to both scenarios? Maybe they feel like they've got really good traction or they feel like they're still stuck. Would going through the new version of Betrayal and Beyond be good for them if they've already done that experience with the old version?
I would say yes, only because it's different enough. If you figure that probably I would guess that maybe 50% of the old material is in there, again, in a different format and maybe even in a different context a little bit. But still, there's a lot of really great new information in there. And even the way that we streamlined the journal a little bit so that the journal really is more focused on the application piece of the process. And so it isn't going back and forth like the old journal and workbook kind of worked, but it really is saying, okay, here's what you learned. So let's put these other tools in place, let's use these strategies and see what this looks like to actually integrate this into your weekly rhythm. And so I think that it would be really beneficial. We have received a couple emails from women who say, okay, we're in chapter two or chapter three, and I kind of missed that this piece wasn't there. And our response is, okay, that piece is probably still there. It just has been moved so that it makes more sense within the context. And so keep going. But we really have enjoyed the feedback that we've gotten and have received a lot of really positive feedback on the new curriculum.
The women also are liking the podcast suggestions that go along with the material, and. And now we have the videos, and so I think it would be great to go through again. I recently had a. A woman ask about it, and I said yes, because there's new research in there about the betrayed spouse's brain and body that you wouldn't have had before. But I would say if you gained good traction in your healing from the first book and you're like, out of it, you're done. You're like, okay, I did that a couple years ago. I'm not really doing that anymore. Then you could go through the new one and lead it, because we always need leaders, so you don't have to go through the new one on your own before leading it. If you've been through the old one, then maybe it would be good to lead it and you'd be getting that opportunity to go through it again or go through the new content, which is.
A great time to go through. Our group Leader training course as well, to get up and fresh on that.
You know, I'm gonna put that plug for later.
That's right.
I can go through it.
It's a little bit like saying, I went to the gym a couple years ago and got in really good shape. Should I go back to the gym this year? Working on your health is always good. And the new Betrayal and Beyond is gonna be another opportunity to work on your health, your growth. And as Ashley just brought up, if you're ready to turn and help other women, and we would just so encourage that. And I think it reminds us, too, that there can be a mindset here that sometimes we look at healing as a one and done process, like I did, that I'm over it, I'm done. Where in reality, we've just seen over and over that this is a journey. It's an ongoing experience of healing and growth and maturity. And yes, we may have worked through some of the initial layers that are pretty deep and messy and feel like we're in a much better place. But I can almost guarantee you there's more to your story to learn and grow from. There's more in your marriage to work on. There's more issues that in your second, second, third, fourth year of recovery are coming up in the marriage, and you're asking new questions. And so that understanding that doing the group doesn't mean I'm deficient in some way or weak, it's a commitment to my own healing and recovery, and that's always good in every season of life. And so if we have that mindset shift of saying, I'm on a journey of healing and growth and this will just be another phase of that, then I think we can reengage in a way that says, I'm not going back to group because I'm so broken. I'm going back because I just want to keep growing. And maturing would be good for all of us.
