From Heartbreak to Hope

Your Guide to Surviving and Healing After an Affair

All posts Affair Recovery Affair Recovery Resources Affair Relapse Affairs and Children Affairs and Popular Culture Affairs and the Ministry Affairs in the News Confronting the Cheater Depression and Affairs Emotional Recovery History of Affairs Narcissism and Affairs Rebuilding Your Marriage Recovery and Self-Care Reducing the Risk Sexual Addiction and Affairs Swinging and Affairs Understanding Affairs

Jeff Murrah, LPC, LCDC, CMNCS

Jeff Murrah, LPC, LCDC, CMNCS

Jeff Murrah is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) with over 45 years of experience. After experiencing the devastation of infidelity firsthand, he dedicated his career to helping families overcome similar challenges.

A pioneer in online counseling since 1999, Jeff's work has been featured on Wall Street Journal Radio and the Larry Elder Show. In 2010, he was selected for inclusion in the "Counseling Courier's Marriage Counselor Hall of Fame" as one of the top 15 marriage and family counselors. Jeff is also a Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist (CMNCS) and Farm Response Certified.

A sixth-generation Texan, Jeff earned his degrees from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. Married since 1985, he and his wife Peggy have three sons and two granddaughters and reside in the Texas Hill Country.

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A person with a stressed expression, holding their head in their hands, sitting at a table with a glass of water and vitamin pills nearby. In the background, a faint silhouette suggests hidden worries, symbolizing the connection between stress, infidelity, and compromised health.

Affair Recovery Recovery and Self-Care

Unfaithful and Unwell: How Affairs Secretly Sabotage Your Health

Think affairs only affect emotions? The hidden truth is they can also wreck your health. Discover the link between stress, infidelity, and your immune system.

A somber image of a couple sitting together, emotionally distant. One person looks disappointed, while the other gazes away with a conflicted expression, highlighting trust issues and deception in their relationship.

Affair Recovery History of Affairs

How a Sneaky Bet Revealed the Painful Truths About Love, Deception, and Trust

Ever been played by someone you love? It’s a painful wake-up call when you realize you’ve been deceived. But there’s a way to rebuild trust.

A somber image of a couple sitting apart from each other, disconnected, with blurred images of another couple in the background, symbolizing hidden relationships, secrecy, and the emotional strain related to swinging and sexual addiction.

Sexual Addiction and Affairs Swinging and Affairs

The Hidden Dangers of Swinging and Sexual Addiction in Relationships

Is swinging really about freedom, or is it masking something darker? Learn how swinging can feed into sexual addiction and the toll it takes on relationships.

A young person sitting alone, looking down with a somber expression, while blurred images of their younger self and an adult figure appear in the background. The scene symbolizes the lasting impact of childhood trauma on their present life, relationships, and emotional well-being.

Emotional Recovery Understanding Affairs

The Lasting Impact of Childhood Abuse on Infidelity and Relationships

What if childhood trauma was more than just painful memories—what if it’s been shaping your relationships all along?

A male and female couple, with the man sitting alone looking overwhelmed, his head in his hands. The woman is blurred in the background, walking away, symbolizing the emotional turmoil and betrayal of repeated affairs. The scene emphasizes feelings of isolation and inner conflict.

Rebuilding Your Marriage Understanding Affairs

Confronting the Emotional Turmoil of Serial Affairs and Taking Back Control

Serial affairs aren’t just painful—they follow destructive patterns. Learn how to break free from the emotional turmoil and reclaim your life.

A couple sitting together, with one person holding a phone while the other looks concerned. The image highlights the emotional tension and mistrust in their relationship, representing the conflict between privacy and trust.

Affair Recovery Affairs and Popular Culture

Is Privacy Killing Trust in Your Marriage?

Is privacy in your marriage creating more harm than good? Here's why snooping, secrets, and privacy can kill trust—and what to do about it.

A couple sitting together on a couch, physically close but emotionally distant. One person stares ahead while the other looks down, both showing no affection or connection. The scene highlights the emotional separation despite their physical proximity, creating a somber and disconnected atmosphere.

Unlocking the Mystery of an Unloving Partner

Does your partner feel emotionally distant? Here’s how to unlock the mystery of an unloving partner and rebuild your relationship.

A person holding their head in their hands, with clenched fists and hunched shoulders, symbolizing the physical tension and internal struggle of trauma. The image reflects the disconnect between mental and physical healing.

Recovery and Self-Care Understanding Affairs

Why Trauma Makes Your Body Feel Like It’s Betraying You

Think you're over the trauma? Your body might have a different story to tell. Here’s how to understand the disconnect and start real healing.

A person intensely focused on their phone, with a blurred background emphasizing their distraction and emotional involvement. The image symbolizes how emotional affairs can consume one's thoughts and create an obsessive attachment.

Emotional Recovery Understanding Affairs

Can Emotional Affairs Hijack Your Heart and Mind?

Is your emotional affair more than just an affair? Here’s how it can hijack your heart and mind—just like an addiction

A couple standing together but emotionally distant, with both individuals looking away from each other, symbolizing the strain and disconnect in their relationship.

Affair Recovery Emotional Recovery

When Your Partner Cheats with an Ex: How to Rebuild After Double Betrayal

Finding out your partner cheated is already a punch in the gut—but discovering it was with their ex? That’s a whole new level of betrayal. If you’re wondering how to pick up the pieces and make sense of it all, keep reading.

A couple stands in the same room, facing away from each other. One person looks somber and upset, while the other is distracted, looking at their phone. The emotional tension and disconnection between them is palpable, symbolizing the strain and distance caused by infidelity in their relationship.

Confronting the Cheater Emotional Recovery

The Myth of 'Togetherness' After Infidelity

The affair shows you one painful truth: You’re not in this together. Here’s how to stop believing the lies and start healing.

A couple sits back to back on a couch, both looking down at their phones. The image conveys emotional distance and disconnection, with no eye contact or interaction between them. The phones symbolize distractions, like online activities, creating tension in their relationship.

Affair Relapse Emotional Recovery

How to Confront Your Spouse About Online Dating Before It Becomes an Affair

Is your spouse testing relationship limits with online dating profiles? Don’t wait for it to escalate—learn how to address it before things go too far.

A couple stands in front of a broken mirror, with cracks distorting their reflections. Both appear emotionally distant, looking at their fragmented reflections rather than at each other. The shattered mirror symbolizes the destructive impact of perfectionism on their relationship, distorting reality and creating emotional separation.

Affair Relapse Understanding Affairs

How Perfectionism Fuels Infidelity and Destroys Marriages

Think being perfect will save your marriage? Think again. Here’s why perfectionism might be the very thing that’s destroying it.

A stylized, futuristic illustration of a woman with bold, angular features, staring forward with a serious expression. Intricate web-like patterns surround her head, symbolizing complex neural connections and the influence of mirror neurons on thoughts and desires.

Affair Relapse Understanding Affairs

How Mirror Neurons Trick You into Affairs

Think your thoughts are your own? Here’s how mirror neurons trick you into infidelity by planting desires in your mind—and how you can fight back.

A stylized illustration of a man in a suit, gazing upward with a serious, contemplative expression. The bold lines and geometric background evoke a sense of introspection and determination, symbolizing the struggle to reconcile past trauma and body memories while working toward recovery after an affair.

Emotional Recovery Recovery and Self-Care

How Past Trauma Haunts Your Present and Affects Affair Recovery

Think you've moved past the trauma? Your body might not agree. Here’s how body memories from the past can haunt your present and affect your recovery after an affair.

A stylized, artistic portrait of a woman with a serious expression, wearing a formal white-collared shirt and pearl earrings. The lighting and shadows emphasize her strong, contemplative demeanor, symbolizing resilience and determination, possibly in the context of overcoming challenges like infidelity.

Confronting the Cheater Emotional Recovery

Why a Healthy Dose of Hate is Key to Overcoming Infidelity and Rebuilding Your Marriage

Think hate has no place in your marriage? Think again. Here’s why you need a little hate to overcome infidelity and protect your relationship.

A vibrant, abstract painting of a couple standing close together, with the man gently holding the woman's hand as he leans in toward her. The woman has a thoughtful expression, while the colorful, bold strokes around them evoke a mix of emotions, symbolizing the complexity of love, loyalty, and tension in relationships after an affair.

Affair Relapse Affairs and Popular Culture

The Unnatural Tensions and Loyalties After an Affair

Affairs create unnatural tensions in blended families—loyalty issues, tough choices, and no-win situations. Here’s how to navigate through the mess and find a path forward.

A stylized illustration of a woman sitting thoughtfully on a set of steps, wearing a cream-colored dress and heels, with her hands resting on her knees. Her contemplative expression and relaxed posture symbolize the patience and reflection required during the lengthy process of affair recovery.

Affair Recovery Understanding Affairs

The Surprising Truth About Affair Recovery and the Power of Patience

Think affair recovery will be quick? Here’s why it takes longer than you think—and how patience can make all the difference in rebuilding your relationship.

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