The Problems in the Divorce are All Your Fault….Or Not

Should you take it personally? How much responsibility should you take? Is it all your fault? Is it all your spouse’s fault? Guilt…blame…projection….defensiveness…how you deal with these has a profound effect on your divorce recovery and personal growth.

Imagine you were planning to have a huge family reunion. You invited everyone, made wonderful plans, rented a quaint restaurant. Then, the day before the event, after everyone had flown into town, there was a lightning strike and the restaurant burned down. You scramble to find another place, but everyone other appropriate place in town has been booked for months.

Naturally, you might feel disappointed, frustrated, angry, sad. You would need to express your feelings and probably have a good cry. You might need to mourn the loss of the event you had imagined.

But you wouldn’t feel that the lightning had attacked you personally and deliberately wanted to ruin your family reunion. You wouldn’t spend hours wondering what was wrong with you and how you caused it. Basically, you wouldn’t blame yourself. Yet, that is what many people going through a divorce do.

See what if feels like to have strong emotions without attaching self-blame to the situation?

This way of thinking about the divorce may be especially helpful when the other spouse has substance abuse, has perpetrated domestic violence and/or has a mental illness. There is often the temptation to take some responsibility for the troubled spouse until one realizes that is both damaging to your self esteem and helps deprives your spouse of the opportunity to take responsibility for their problems.

But wait…you’re not off the hook that easily. Remember that problems are your opportunity to explore and to see what you can learn in order to be happier. So let’s look at things another way, using a four-step process developed by Byron Katie. Let’s use the statement, “The divorce is all my fault.”

Step 1: Ask yourself if what you are thinking is true. Be still, use your common sense, your wise inner being, your professional intelligence…use all your capacity for reflection and insight. Is it true? Is the divorce really your fault? Wait patiently and let the answer rise to meet the question. Allow yourself to be surprised by your own deep wisdom.

Step 2: Can you absolutely know that it’s true that the divorce is your fault? Do you know All the factors that went into creating the divorce? For example, are you aware of all the people who influenced the situation and how they did so? Are you aware of the all the past hurts in both of you that may have contributed to the divorce? You get the idea.

Step 3: How do you react when you think the thought that the divorce is all your fault? How do you treat yourself when you think this thought? How do you treat your spouse when you think this thought? For example, do you insult yourself? Do you not take care of yourself? Do you hurt your spouse? Do you lose your focus on your children?

Step 4: Who would you be without this thought? If you were incapable of thinking the thought that the divorce is all your fault, what would that be like? Close your eyes and imagine what that would be like? Sit quietly with it. What would it see? What would you feel? What would you hear?

Step 5: Now play with it by turning it around. Take the original statement and turn it around in various ways. Notice what rings true and what doesn’t. The divorce is Not my fault. Is that true? In what way is it true? In what way is it not true?

Receive a Free copy of "The 12 Mistakes to Avoid Before you Begin Your Divorce"

Testimonials

My biggest fear was that the process was going to be too overwhelming to deal with, and that I wasn’t going to get what I needed. It became clear when we were going through the financials which had to be prepared for the court, that I was in good hands with Sat Tara. I was able to do the most overwhelming aspect of my divorce with her help, because she offered calm, clear, knowledgeable support. I was not alone in a sea of confusion and legalese.

Client

The biggest benefit I got from working with Sat Tara was the clear knowledge that she believed in my ability to make it through that hellish time. And I did.

Client

Working with Sat Tara was different than other work I’ve done mainly because it was very practical as well as emotional and psychological. A great balance, especially when you’re trying to cope with a divorce. Sat Tara is compassionate and skillful and I’d certainly recommend her to a friend in need.

Client

Sat Tara has been expert in guiding my clients through the divorce process, including the financial and custody mazes. I have always found her material reliable and helpful.

Boulder County Attorney

Sat Tara combines street smarts with humanity. She helped me explore, recognize and identify the important issues, organize and refine their presentation and synthesize them into a coherent whole.

Client

An additional benefit of Sat Tara’s counsel was the venting and diffusing of a lot of non-functional and counterproductive anger….I spoke from truth and honesty.

Client

It has been fabulous to have Sat Tara to bounce things off of, express my feelings to and to get honest feedback from.

Client

You also helped me learn to love myself again….I’ve forgiven myself. I am such a better person and a better mother now.

Client

You saved my life! You brought me out of the darkness into the light.

Client

Coming out of this, I feel so empowered and in control of my own life. You helped lay the stepping stones to get me to such a point. I will never hesitate to recommend you to others I meet who find themselves in need of sound advice and guidance. Thank you, Sat Tara, for everything.

Client

Thank you for your wonderful support and guidance through my divorce process. A year ago I was asking myself, "How does a person even start to get divorced?" and was trying to find answers in Divorce for Dummies! But nothing provides assistance better than a well-informed, supportive, understanding, highly trained, experienced, level-headed mentor which is exactly what I found in you

Client


Name:
Email: