Keeping Your Boat Afloat: Self-Care That Stabilizes After Betrayal (Season 1: Episode 4)

Keeping Your Boat Afloat: Self-Care That Stabilizes After Betrayal (PIERS Framework) Summary:

In this episode, Dr. Kevin Skinner and Marianne Michaelis reframe self-care as the essential stabilizer after discovery—not bubble baths, but daily practices that calm the nervous system and restore capacity. Using the PIERS framework(Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Relational, Spiritual), they show how gentle movement (not overexertion) can switch off fight-or-flight, how learning gives language and edges to a blurry trauma story, and how naming and expressing emotions releases their grip. They highlight the power of connection—groups and one trusted person—to accelerate healing, and they broaden “spiritual” to include values, nature, and quiet reflection that settles the body and clears the mind.

With habit-stacking tips (like listening to an audiobook while walking) and cautions against overwhelming already-taxed systems, the episode invites listeners to take one small, doable step today: choose a PIERS practice you can repeat tomorrow. The message is simple and compassionate—you are worth taking care of, and consistent self-care is how your boat stays afloat through the storm.

Resources Available

• Rise: Hope and Healing from Sexual Betrayal Course
  A structured 12-session program with videos, assignments, and group support for betrayed partners.
  👉 https://www.humanintimacy.com/course/hope-and-healing-from-sexual-betrayal

• Human Intimacy Online Community
  Join our upcoming educational support group with Dr. Skinner and Marianne Michaelis—weekly sessions, Q&As, and guided learning designed to provide tools and community for ongoing recovery.

• Additional Resources

  • Treating Trauma from Sexual Betrayal – Dr. Kevin Skinner’s book exploring the science and path of recovery.

  • The Other Side of Infidelity – Dr. Skinner’s TEDx Talk introducing the trauma model of sexual betrayal.

  • Free articles, podcasts, and exercises available at HumanIntimacy.com