Caroline Margaret Sutherland - Direct Hit!: How Facebook Destroyed My Marriage and How I Healed

Imagine your beloved husband betraying you on Facebook. You are in total shock, disbelief and devastation. Your life will never be the same. When you find your husband and partner of eight years the person you trusted the most, your friend, lover, business partner, pillar, and support system behaving in a way that negates everything you thought you knew of him, it is simply unfathomable. This is what happened to me.

I had been ruminating about writing a new book for the past few years. I knew it would have a spiritual theme focusing on higher teachings. But nothing really pulled me to start the book. The muse had not been invoked. Little did I know then that a horrendous personal experience would be what it took to get her attention and begin the writing process.

I chose the title Direct Hit! because I have personally received a direct hit a slam of monumental proportions. But direct hit has a double meaning. It is a term in my specialty, Medical Intuition, referring to a hunch, an understanding, an insight, or a ding. And who knows? Direct hit can also mean success my hope that its message will reach far and wide.

For the past 25 years I have been a professional writer focusing on topics in the health and healing field. I am also a 67-year-old professional speaker, a radio host, and a best-selling author with Hay House Publishing of Carlsbad, California. I speak on the same lecture circuit as Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Louise Hay, Suze Orman, and others. All of my books, lectures, and consultations are oriented to the subject of Medical Intuition the ability to see beyond the normal levels of perception into more subtle levels below. I have 27 books and CD and DVD titles in circulation plus my special project Angels 4 Kids. But this is the hardest book I have ever had to write, because living through this experience has been the toughest thing I have ever had to endure.

We are all aware of social media and their influence on the computer-savvy younger generation. Every teen and 20-something knows the downside of texting, sexting, and cyber-bullying. But what about adult activity on the Internet are 50-somethings behaving badly? How are long-term marriages faring under the onslaught of electronic input? My goal in this book is to share with you some answers to these questions and the cautionary steps you can take if you and your partner are using social media.

Judging from information that counselors have shared with me, Internet betrayals are showing up in their practices with alarming regularity. It appears that even the most stable, mature, professional people can also be seduced by the freedom to misrepresent themselves on the Internet, and this book will tell you how it happens.

Inappropriate Internet behavior is more and more frequent now that social media make hooking up as easy as the click of a mouse. Facebook is a force for good that can also be used for other purposes than positive. For all its benefits, there is a dark side to Facebook, and it appears it is up to me to bring it to light.

I knew I had to write Direct Hit! for the simple reason that if this happened to me, it could happen to anyone. What you will read here is juicier than a Danielle Steele novel but infinitely more serious. If you thought the Arnold Schwarzenegger story was shocking, if you thought Sandra Bullock suffered the ultimate betrayal, if you thought John Edwardss behavior was despicable and that Rep. Anthony Weiners Facebook scandal was outrageous then read my story.

While all the books I have written in the past are focused on love and light, health and healing, peace and positivity, Direct Hit! How Facebook Destroyed My Marriage and How I Healed is a departure from my usual writing style. For all its darkness, it is ultimately a spiritual book about healing and uncovering the truth. It is also inspirational and, in parts, humorous.

The book is no-holds-barred and contains coarse language and sexually explicit material. Apart from being a real life story, it is an examination of the underbelly of human nature and what can and does happen on Facebook. I believe this book is important. I know that if this happened to me, it must be happening to other people who are innocently going about their daily lives completely unaware of what their partners are doing behind closed doors. With a billion Facebook users around the world, Internet betrayal is very likely widespread. But this is not a negative story its a true story that, despite its dark theme, has a very positive outcome.

I have focused the book in four main areas:

• What happened my personal nightmare
• Examining the motives for addictive behavior
• Healing and forgiveness
• Facebook what you need to know

Throughout the book you will see the symbol of a deciduous tree and the words Stand Sure. This is the insignia on the Sutherland family seal, which has been pressed into sealing wax on countless letters sent by my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather before them. I have that brass seal on my desk. It reminds me to stand sure for what I believe is right.

The Sutherland family crest consists of a golden circle with a lion in the center and the words Sans Peur written beneath. Sans Peur in French, means without fear. As I write this book and live my life, I stand sure without fear!

I wrote this book to help you see that all may not be well in your electronic world. Perhaps youre in a committed long-term relationship. Perhaps youre tempted to take an online interaction to the next level. Or perhaps you suspect that a family member is behaving inappropriately on the Internet. If so, have courage: it is time to find out the truth. This book will show you what to look for. It will be hard, it may be shocking, but after what I have been through, Im living proof that you can put your life back together no matter what your discovery.

It has been over a year since all of this happened. It has been a tough year, and now it is easier to look back on the experience and see that it was meant to be. As my daughter said a few months ago, Mom, just imagine if you never knew. Youd be living with a man who was living a double life. You could have been living like this for several more years before you actually found out the truth. You are lucky you found out now.