Building Confidence to Sit in the Fire of Her Pain

By Dr. Eddie Capparucci

There’s no shortage of programs designed to help men be more emotionally present for their betrayed partners. Therapists, coaches, and recovery groups teach vital skills—how to validate, how to stay with her pain, and show empathy. These are not optional. If you want to rebuild trust, they are your lifeline.

But here is the truth most men do not want to hear. You can learn every skill there is to be emotionally engaged, but if you do not have the confidence to stay present in the middle of her grief, those skills will not mean a thing.

Why Most Men Fail to Show Up

Without confidence, you will fold under the weight of her anger and heartbreak. You will slide right into a me-first fog—a self-protective state where your own pain drowns out hers. And when you do that, you disappear on her again.

That trance did not show up out of nowhere. You learned it in childhood. You lived in an environment where no one made life ‘about you.’ No one showed up consistently for your emotions. No one told you, You matter. You’re loved. You’re safe. So you learned to make it about you—because no one else did. And you never stopped believing you had to continue in this self-preservation modality.

When she now calls you out for the betrayal and deception, the negative noise roars in your head:

• “I’m an awful person.”

• “I’m unlovable.”

• “I don’t deserve to be here.”

That is when you either retreat into silence or come out swinging with defensiveness. Both destroy the connection. Both keep you stuck.

Understanding the Real Problem

Most men in this position are not broken beyond repair, and they are not doomed by bad character. Yes, some have character issues, but that is not the majority. Most are unknowingly dealing with wounds and survival strategies experienced as children and teens living in toxic environments.

I ask men in recovery:

“If you knew back then what you know now about why you struggle, do you think acting out would have been such a problem?”

Every single one says no. Because once you understand why you think, feel, and act the way you do, you realize—you have the power to make significant and live-lasting changes.

Your Assignment: Build a Confidence List

If you want to stand strong in the face of her pain, you need to start now. You cannot wait until you are in the trenches and she is hurting to try and find your confidence. Make a Confidence List—a daily reminder of why you can and must be the man she needs you to be.

Some ideas include:

1. My struggles were shaped by my environment and conditioning—not because I’m beyond help.

2. I’ve worked hard in my recovery, and I’m learning every day.

3. I am truly remorseful for the pain I caused my wife.

4. I will never go back to those behaviors—the thought disgusts me.

5. I am committed to growing in integrity.

6. I can be faithful.

7. I can be honest.

8. I am learning to love my wife the way she deserves to be loved.

After making your list, review it daily. Out loud. With conviction. Add to it as you grow. Over time, this will drown out the shame-driven lies and replace them with truth. And when the truth is loud in your head, you will be able to sit with her pain without making it about you.

“But What If She Calls Me a Horrible Person?”

Here is the deal—you will hear things that sting. That is her pain speaking. Her hurt Little Girl, who is afraid to trust again. She is not defining your worth as a man—she is describing the impact of your behavior.

Your job in that moment is not to defend yourself. Your job is to absorb the heat and keep your eyes on the bigger mission: helping heal the hurting Little Girl inside her.

Emotional Regulation

You cannot apply any of the tools you have learned in recovery if you are unable to regulate your emotional state. This is the primary reason men in recovery remain emotionally unavailable to their grieving partner—not because they do not care, but because their nervous system is dysregulated.

When your body is in a state of threat, access to empathy, presence, and healthy connection is shut down. Emotional regulation is not willpower or insight; it is the learned ability to calm and stabilize your autonomic nervous system, so you can stay grounded instead of reactive or avoidant.

Until regulation becomes a daily practice, recovery skills will remain inconsistent, and relationships will continue to suffer. If you have not yet received your Emotional Regulation Techniques handout, email me at [email protected], and I will send you a copy.

This is the work. It is not easy. It is not comfortable. But it is how you prove you are no longer the man who runs or fights when confronted. It is how you become the man who stays—no matter how hot the fire gets.

It is the first step in helping to win back her heart.