"A book of profound insight and wisdom, written not just for those who have been betrayed, but for anyone who wants to build deeper, more trusting relationships." SUSAN M. CAMPBELL, Ph.D. Author of THE COUPLES JOURNEY LOVE & BETRAYAL explores the many forms betrayal can take, from keeping secrets and negative gossip to breaking promises and sexual infidelity. In the process, you can discover how to heal the wounds of past betrayals, what steps to take to forgive both yourself and your betrayer, and how to cultivate a climate of love and trust in your current relationships. This book is based on the premise that you can heal the wounds of betrayal and emerge as a stronger, wiser, more compassionate person. Whether you want to rebuild trust with a current partner or heal apart from the one who has hurt you, you can learn and grow from this most painful life experiences. The book is also for people who want to build trusting relationships so that painful betrayals and other hurts may be avoided. "A book of profound insight and wisdom, written not just for those who have been betrayed, but for anyone who wants to build deeper, more trusting relationships." SUSAN M. CAMPBELL, Ph.D. Author of THE COUPLES JOURNEY LOVE & BETRAYAL explores the many forms betrayal can take, from keeping secrets and negative gossip to breaking promises and sexual infidelity. In the process, you can discover how to heal the wounds of past betrayals, what steps to take to forgive both yourself and your betrayer, and how to cultivate a climate of love and trust in your current relationships. "A book of profound insight and wisdom, written not just for those who have been betrayed, but for anyone who wants to build deeper, more trusting relationships." SUSAN M. CAMPBELL, Ph.D. Author of THE COUPLES JOURNEY LOVE & BETRAYAL explores the many forms betrayal can take, from keeping secrets and negative gossip to breaking promises and sexual infidelity. In the process, you can discover how to heal the wounds of past betrayals, what steps to take to forgive both yourself and your betrayer, and how to cultivate a climate of love and trust in your current relationships. John Amodeo, PhD, has more than 20 years’ experience assisting individuals and couples with their journey toward healing, growth, and satisfying relationships. He is a licensed marriage, family, and child counselor. Dr. Amodeo is coauthor of Being Intimate: A Guide to Successful Relationships and author of  Love & Betrayal and Dancing with Fire , and has taught and lectured widely. Introduction   On and on the rain will fall Like tears from a star like tears from a star On and on the rain will say How fragile we are how fragile we are From “Fragile” by STING   RELATIONSHIPS are difficult. We want to feel cherished and understood. And we want love and intimacy to endure—for a lifetime. Sadly, love relationships often seem to fall short of their tender promise, leaving us wounded, disillusioned, and discouraged. Do we dare wonder if there is a sequel to the bitter taste of disappointed love?   This book begins with the simple recognition that love relationships can be tricky, if not treacherous. Despite our sweetest vision of what is possible, intimacy can be hazardous to our health. There is no ultimate safety or security in the arena of relationship. Once we accept that, we’re ready for the good news: There is a depth, delight, and richness that is truly possible through love relationships. There is no substitute for the pleasure, fulfillment, and growth that come by relating deeply to a wisely selected fellow human. Despite my own bruising betrayals, I’m still a hopeless romantic at heart—though in a different way than when I was twenty.   This book offers a means of dealing with love’s shadow side, love’s duplicitous polarity: betrayal. Only by bringing light to love’s dark corners can we navigate our way through the beguiling traps that await our journey into love. Only then can we fulfill the promise of finding the radiant joy, delightful connection, and bountiful love that our heart and soul never abandon.   By courageously confronting the inevitable rejections and betrayals that life brings us, we can heal the hurts of our heart, discover new aspects of ourselves, and find a greater degree of safety in relationships. Betrayal in its many forms can become, in effect, the unwelcome rite of passage that ushers us toward a brighter understanding of what love is and what love isn’t—what helps love grow, and what destroys it.   Sharing our heart, our tenderness, our hopes with another person exposes us to the painful possibility that our trust may be coldly betrayed or unwittingly undermined. This hurt touches each of us at one time or another. None of us will escape life without being betrayed in some manner by someone we have grown to trust and love. Betrayal is an equal opportunity misfortune.   Yet little has been written about this dreaded aspect of the