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Is it usual to feel no guilt with being an OW/OM?


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Posted

I had a relationship with a MM 2 years ago. He worked with my dad. He was a real family guy type seemingly he'd been married 5 years he was a habitual cheater and I felt no guilt because it seemed like if it was not with me it would be with someone else. I never felt like I loved him or anything the relationship was mostly about sex. The most regret I have about it was that my family found out and it messed up my relationship with my bf. but at the same time I never really didn't want to be with the same guy I kind of needed to be single. I learned my lesson though because of the consequences I got afterwards but idk if I regret it ever happening as I did grow and learn from my mistakes.

Posted

In my experience and from what I've read here, no it's not usual to feel no guilt.

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Posted

Wasn't*

 

Maybe it's because of the type of mm idk.

Posted

I felt plenty of guilt during the affair with xMM. I also felt plenty of other things which is why the affair continued. I feel guilt now for the part I play in their divorce but that's just one part of the story.

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Posted

I was able to suppress MOST feelings of guilt until my MM of one year had a near death experience.

He told me about his wife crying and crying in the intensive care room and yelling at him not to die.

Now I walk around with a HUGE ball of guilt and pain in the middle of my chest. Guilt for what I have been doing to this innocent woman.

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Posted

Well I dont deserve a halo just yet. He is still in hospital, still phoning me twice a day, still saying ILY. I have visited him and he acts exactly the same towards me. Kisses, hugs, et cetera. I really thought this would rattle him, but he seems full steam ahead on the A.

I am waiting until he gets out of hospital to have a serious discussion.

Posted

and what did you learn from this mistake you don't regret and how did you grow from it?*

Posted

If you don't feel guilty about it, it's probably because: a) you're a sociopath and only care about yourself or b) you believed the lies he's been telling you.

 

Just my opinion, I don't know how you couldn't feel bad about it.

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Posted
I was able to suppress MOST feelings of guilt until my MM of one year had a near death experience.

He told me about his wife crying and crying in the intensive care room and yelling at him not to die.

Now I walk around with a HUGE ball of guilt and pain in the middle of my chest. Guilt for what I have been doing to this innocent woman.

 

For me my guilt stemmed from hOw I treated my then bf like ****. And it all just being for guys that weren't worth it and didn't love me. By the time I missed what I had it was way too late we'd been broken up and he'd found a girl that could treat him right. But we'd had plans to get married at 18 before all this had happened. He was perfect but I just couldn't see myself with the same guy forever. I was only 16 when it started and I just felt I couldn't commit but I didn't actually want to admit it. Because I felt guilt like he was everything I was supposed to love yet I didn't want to be in a monogamous relationship.

However, like I said considering I wasn't at the time ready for the type of relationship I was in it's better it ended than not ending and living in misery. I felt a lot of guilt for cheating and regret but it's like it wasn't going to work anyhow. That's how I found solace instead of continuously hating myself.

 

I guess to me it was my responsibility to not cheat on him repeatedly. At the time, though, I had my own needs and issues and I was selfish for that.

 

But once he dumped me a year later. I felt a lot lighter initially and I was just free to do whatever. I didn't feel I was ruining his family because really I wasn't he was cheating with other girls anyhow. And he wasn't the only one I was with either so I felt like it was open relationship she knew but was acting like she didn't. It's just after it was found out a lot of those in our community really hated me called me a whore home wrecker. I went to college soon and never been back home.

But I can guarantee you before during and after our sexual relationship he was with other girls. That's I guess the difference because I felt we weren't ruining his wife or family more he was doing this because that's what he constantly did. It's just like I never blamed him or any of the other guys I was involved with while I was still in a relationship. I guess that's why as the Other Person I didn't feel so guilty over it.

Posted

I didn't feel guilty about the A at all. I'm not a sociopath and he didn't lie to me. I was completely up front with the people in my life about the A and I hid nothing. I set out how I expected to be treated in our R and made it clear I had nothing to hide from anyone therefore I wouldn't hide anything. I had no reason to interact with his BS until ddays and when we did interact I was probably more honest about things than she was.

 

I think all of that stemmed from me being a BS in my 20s. My xH cheated and I ended the M. It never dawned on me to place any blame on his OW. He crushed me and he was the one who I blamed and held responsible. I didn't see the sense of blaming someone else for his actions, to me that would have been transferring anger and responsibility onto someone else. Maybe that's why I didn't feel guilty, DMM was a big boy and made his decisions just like I did.

 

Because I don't feel guilty doesn't mean I don't empathize with his xW and she and I have had some really interesting conversations about it in the recent past.

 

I'm not one to spin guilt out of nothing and carry it with me. I feel guilty about plenty in my life and when I do it's more than worthy of me hauling it around.

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Posted
and what did you learn from this mistake you don't regret and how did you grow from it?*

 

To admit when I can't do something like commit to a relationship. And let it get to that point. We built our relationship on honesty trust and no secrets and I broke all that down because I felt too ashamed and selfish I could have done things differently so I'd not have cheated,

 

As far as the MM I kind of was just waiting around for it to fall through. It's not a good idea to habitually sleep with an MM. I wouldn't do it again in this day if given the chance.

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Posted
If you don't feel guilty about it, it's probably because: a) you're a sociopath and only care about yourself or b) you believed the lies he's been telling you.

 

Just my opinion, I don't know how you couldn't feel bad about it.

 

What? Lol no he didn't tell me anything to think poorly of her.

 

And no I am not a sociopath. It's just like to me some things need to happen so you can look back and see where you went wrong and why and you later realize it was a lost cause to begin with so you accept it.

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Posted
I didn't feel guilty about the A at all. I'm not a sociopath and he didn't lie to me. I was completely up front with the people in my life about the A and I hid nothing. I set out how I expected to be treated in our R and made it clear I had nothing to hide from anyone therefore I wouldn't hide anything. I had no reason to interact with his BS until ddays and when we did interact I was probably more honest about things than she was.

 

I think all of that stemmed from me being a BS in my 20s. My xH cheated and I ended the M. It never dawned on me to place any blame on his OW. He crushed me and he was the one who I blamed and held responsible. I didn't see the sense of blaming someone else for his actions, to me that would have been transferring anger and responsibility onto someone else. Maybe that's why I didn't feel guilty, DMM was a big boy and made his decisions just like I did.

 

Because I don't feel guilty doesn't mean I don't empathize with his xW and she and I have had some really interesting conversations about it in the recent past.

 

I'm not one to spin guilt out of nothing and carry it with me. I feel guilty about plenty in my life and when I do it's more than worthy of me hauling it around.

 

THIS is exactly my take on A's. I feel the cheater did it so he's responsible for his obligation to his wife/husband.

 

But what is a BS?

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Posted
If you don't feel guilty about it, it's probably because: a) you're a sociopath and only care about yourself or b) you believed the lies he's been telling you.

 

There have been no lies, no future promises made.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm not a sociopath. I just don't believe in lifelong monogamy.

 

I don't feel guilty at all. I strongly prefer not to get caught, since that would complicate the relationship, but a preference for secrecy is not equivalent to guilt.

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Posted

I was only secretive about my relationship because I knew how my parents would react. And plus I was a lot younger. Otherwise I'd have likely been more open about it. Because seriously had no shame or any feelings besides when I was in a relationship with my ex. My friends actually knew well one of them did.

Posted

I think whether or not you feel guilt depends on both your personal values, and the circumstances of your R.

 

I don't regard a wedding ring as some radioactive "keep out" sign. I believe available is as available does, and if a MP places so little value on their commitment to another that they choose to make themselves available, then their M is of no greater value to me than it is to them. So no, availing myself of a consenting, willing, adult MP is not against my values, and so I do not and did not feel guilt because of that.

 

In addition, the circumstances of my A were such that I had every reason to believe the BW placed little value on the m herself. Apart from treating her H poorly and conducting her life separately - to the extent that several people who knew them, including former housemates, had no idea they were "together" - she was also on record as saying that M meant nothing to her, that she was only doing it for tax reasons, that monogamy was unnatural, that she could not care less if her H was faithful as long as he was "loyal", and she was herself an unrepentant former WS. For someone whose discourse and behaviour was so consistently ant-M and anti-fidelity, it seemed natural (to me) that she meant what she said. (So the subsequent discovery that she had one set of standards for herself, and one for everyone else, came as a surprise. )

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Posted

I don't have the statistical basis to claim its usual - only one personal experience - it (lack of guilt) does happen. It can also change later (guilt after fog lifts) and distance/time from the relationship.

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Posted
I think whether or not you feel guilt depends on both your personal values, and the circumstances of your R.

 

I don't regard a wedding ring as some radioactive "keep out" sign. I believe available is as available does, and if a MP places so little value on their commitment to another that they choose to make themselves available, then their M is of no greater value to me than it is to them. So no, availing myself of a consenting, willing, adult MP is not against my values, and so I do not and did not feel guilt because of that.

 

In addition, the circumstances of my A were such that I had every reason to believe the BW placed little value on the m herself. Apart from treating her H poorly and conducting her life separately - to the extent that several people who knew them, including former housemates, had no idea they were "together" - she was also on record as saying that M meant nothing to her, that she was only doing it for tax reasons, that monogamy was unnatural, that she could not care less if her H was faithful as long as he was "loyal", and she was herself an unrepentant former WS. For someone whose discourse and behaviour was so consistently ant-M and anti-fidelity, it seemed natural (to me) that she meant what she said. (So the subsequent discovery that she had one set of standards for herself, and one for everyone else, came as a surprise. )

 

Personally that is exactly how my exBw

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