Jude Walsh - Post-Divorce Bliss: Ending Us & Finding Me

One does not usually associate the words divorce and bliss in the same sentence. Yet, Jude Walshs book Post-Divorce Bliss describes the excitement and transformation that can emerge from facing such an unwanted and unexpected event. She invites the reader to engage in provocative and probing questions that plumb the intricacies of the unsettling experiences that immediately follow a sudden rupture to ones life. She knows firsthand the negative loop that one faces when dealing with the shock of ending ones relationship and facing the task of rearranging their life directions and hopes after an unwanted divorce. Because she knows this terrain well, Jude is always two steps ahead of the reader in supporting those various shaky transitions that such a journey demands. She counteracts each emerging negative and helpless perspective by expanding the readers world view, and points to the emerging perspectives that are on the cusp on showing itself. In addition she offers practical and life-giving strategies to support the transition into the new. Written in a straight forward, honest style, this book challenges the reader to move bravely through the fires of this life experience towards the spaciousness and brilliant life yet to be discovered.

Catherine Comuzzi, Ed.D. Cg. Psych
Registered Psychotherapist

Jude Walsh knows what shes talking about and she expresses herself beautifully. This is a smart, important book written for the person who has no choice but to deal with life after divorce. It is filled with practical knowledge from an excellent coach and I highly recommend it!

Eric Maisel, Overcoming Your Difficult Family
http://www.ericmaisel.com
http://www.ericmaiselsolutions.com
http://www.thefutureofmentalhealth.com

Post-Divorce Bliss

Post

Divorce

Bliss

Ending Us and Finding Me

Jude Walsh

NEW YORK

LONDONNASHVILLEMELBOURNEVANCOUVER

Post-Divorce Bliss

Ending Us and Finding Me

2019 Jude Walsh

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in New York, New York, by Morgan James Publishing in partnership with Difference Press. Morgan James is a trademark of Morgan James, LLC. www.MorganJamesPublishing.com

ISBN 9781642792348 paperback

ISBN 9781642792355 eBook

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018910510

Cover Design by:

Megan Dillon

Interior Design by:

Chris Treccani

www.3dogcreative.net

Morgan James is a proud partner of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg. Partners in building since 2006.

Get involved today! Visit
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To all the women recreating themselves post-divorce, youve got this! Welcome to your second bloom.

And, as always, to my son Brendan, you inspire me.

This is not the life I ordered, Jude says in the beginning of her book. These seven words will resonate with millions. They capture the experience of mid-life women everywhere who are looking forward to a future of joy and intimacy and then are blindsided by a partner who indicates by his words or deeds that he wants to end their long-term marriage.

Having been through the pain of separation and divorce and coming out the other side to reclaim her lost self, Jude offers guidance for the women who hunger for the support and understanding to bring them through the dark nights of pain and suffering to a life that is more beautiful than anything they have experienced before. Men suffer as well when a marriage ends, but there are unique wounds that women experience that only a woman can truly understand.

I first met Jude in 2002 and was impressed with the personal healing she had done on her own journey of self-discovery and how engaged she was in helping other women navigate difficult relationships to bring clarity to their lives. Her long experiences as an educator allowed her to use her own life experiences as a template and catalyst to tune into the needs of women who were reaching out for help. She was already the go-to person when women wanted to talk about their lives, their loves, and their losses.

And truly, divorce is a loss that rips us apart and can challenge everything we thought we knew about our partner, ourselves, and our future. We need help getting through a divorce at any stage of life, but help is particularly important when were 40 or older. I wrote three books about my own struggles and the impact these mid-life issues have on the lives of men and women Male Menopause, Surviving Male Menopause, and The Irritable Male Syndrome. I learned that mid-life is a difficult life stage for everyone and a separation or divorce during this period of life can be devastating.

Jude has masterfully crafted a book that not only will help women get through the divorce with her body, mind, and spirit intact, but helps women use this life-changing, often traumatic, experience to heal themselves and to create a life based on self-acceptance, joy, and freedom.

Getting through a divorce is like going through the death of a loved one, but it can be even more difficult. When someone dies theres a true ending and we can move more quickly through the stages of loss that Elisabeth Kbler-Ross describes in her book On Death and Dying: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But when we go through a divorce, particularly if were the one who didnt want it, we can struggle for years denying that it is over and feel angry about what was done in the past. Our ex may continue to be doing things that are hurtful. Depression may last for months or years and we experience post-traumatic stress that can be triggered over and over again as we must interact with our partner around issues of money, children, support, and a hundred and one details of daily living.

What I find particularly valuable about Judes book is the simple, yet effective, guidance she provides in helping the reader address all the issues that are so painful and confusing as she moves from a life involving us to one created around me. Youll identify with Judes personal story as she confronts her husbands infidelity and the shock and dismay that she was forced to endure.

Youll recognize the questions she must confront:

• Where do I fit?
• Whats my support structure now?
• Who can I count on for help?
• Will I have enough money to live?
• What will my future hold?

Jude helps you look back to analyze your marriage so you can better understand what went wrong, what you can learn, and how to come to peace with this painful, but necessary, transition from the world of a married couple to the world of your own emerging self.

Youll be given guided exercises and writing prompts that help you heal at the same time that they guide you through the nitty-gritty activities you must perform to keep your life afloat while youre dealing with confused emotions, painful memories, and longing to have this be over with already .

Jude helps bring out your hidden strengths and stands beside you as you own them, develop them, and express them more fully in your life. She helps you deal with the inevitable setbacks that can derail a person when they feel, finally Ive got it figured out and Im home free. But you are hit with another one of lifes realities and you are forced to go deeper to find hidden sources of courage you never knew you had.