Broken Bones & Betrayal Recovery

Shawn Haywood, PhRD
Nov 4
2 min read

Picture this:

It’s a cold winter morning.You beat the cold, meet your bestie at the trailhead, and breathe in that cool, misty air. There are sounds of birds chirping in the distances… Peace pervades.

Then—one missed step.

A root catches your toe.

Your shoe skids on a boulder.

SNAP.

White-hot pain.

World tilting.

Ground, thud.

You know instantly: something is seriously wrong.

What happens next?

Your friend offers a hand—you take it.
When her care alone isn’t enough, she calls the EMS.
At the hospital, you get imaging and a clear diagnosis.
You’re referred to an orthopedic surgeon, then a sports PT with a plan tailored to you.
Three to six months later, you’re back on your favorite trails—stronger because rehab addressed the weak spots that set you up for injury.

Why this story?

Because healing after an affair follows the same logic.

We’re taught emotional wounds should “just heal with time, or that you should just put the past in the past, or to just get over it.” But when your spirit has been injured and your heart is laid open while a hippo sits atop your chest… expert support IS NOT optional—it’s how you heal fully and come back stronger, steadier, and more joyful than before.

You wouldn’t:

limp on a mangled ankle,
refuse help,
skip the scans,
or tell yourself, “It’ll sort itself out.”

So don’t do that to your heart and nervous system, either.

You deserve:

A steady arm (safe support)
A clear diagnosis (what actually happened + what you need)
A specialist (betrayal-savvy care)
A clear, 90-day rehab plan (boundaries, nervous-system care, communication skills)
Follow-through (the reps that rebuild trust—with yourself and with your partner)

If you’re done emotionally hobbling along and ready to commit to real healing, schedule a Breakthrough Session with us today. Think of it as an orthopedic consult for your mind and spirit.

You’re not broken. You’re injured. And injuries heal—with the right care.

About Dr. Shawn Haywood

Dr. Shawn Haywood is the founder of Reimagine Love. She is a classically trained therapist, as well as a life and marriage coach, who loves to work with women and couples to help them heal fully after an affair. Over the past 25 years, she has helped thousands of women move from the cycle of disconnect to one of unbreakable love and connection, while healing fully after infidelity, in a fraction of the time of traditional marriage counseling.