My husband is spiritually draining me

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Jesus said he didn’t come for the healthy but for the sick. Either your husband is a high-functioning autist (Asperger’s syndrome) or pretty messed up things happened to him when he was a boy (I think you alluded to him having had a tough childhood). I can see how he could benefit from God’s healing if he could only go to the Sacrament of Penance. Nothing is keeping him from healing, grace, God’s friendship but his stupid pride, foolishness and spiritual blindness (I apologize for being blunt). He needs all those things, badly usccbmedia.blogspot.ca/2011/07/confession-it-puts-you-straight-with.html He just sounds like a very angry man who has a chip on his shoulder. His interest for both pornography and Islam put him in the same league as Bin Laden, BTW. I understand he was a decent husband up until the moment you converted 6 years into your marriage and that things have steadily gone awry from that point on? It’s been suggested, but I think the chaplet of Divine Mercy would be a good place to go to. There’s one that I especially like, I would say to pray it simply by entrusting your husband to the Father’s mercy (since he probably was lacking in a father), try and free yourself of some of the weight that’s on your shoulders, you’ve got more than enough on your plate with 6 kids without being your husband’s mommy. He needs God’s grace to realize he needs to go to Confession. Confession would be the starting point. Here’s the link youtube.com/watch?v=__RbWgxA2G0 God bless you, Joanne, and I pray that God will give you comfort and rest.
Yeah his parents split up and his father was a drunk, his mother hated the Church but he went through with all the Sacraments because his grandparents insisted even though he converted to Baptist as a teen when his mother did. Both of his parents died in their forties. He never went to confession after his first confession. My conversion has been the beginning of the problems. He alternates between being supportive by going to Mass with me and helping teach the children their faith and prayers, participating in my parish’s charity work, and then he gets weird when it comes to sex. During my conversion he started looking at porn at work, he took a picture of me in the bedroom when I wasn’t looking, and he started writing me pervy letters about his fantasies about me. I told him I didn’t like it and he blames the Church and says I am no fun in the bedroom anymore. A couple years ago he blew up at me and said he has been building up resentment for me because he does all this stuff to support me and I don’t do the things he wants which is only publicly show respect and support for his interest in practicing Islam like he does with my Catholicism and (GRAPHIC COMING UP) offer him anal intercourse. He said he is not interested in my interests, like my church and learning how to dance and making friends, I squash his personality and he wants to get another tattoo. Ironically, the tattoo he has now is a cross.

We have just been treading water for awhile now, he writes pervy letters, I tell him off and cry, he gets home from work and we are pleasant to each other and don’t bring up the letters. I take care of the money, give him a to do list, arrange all appointments and major house repairs, arrange all extracurricular activities and entertainment and date nights. Date nights are horrible, I plan the entire evening, hire a babysitter, get all dressed up, and then have to provide the entire conversation too. If we get to hang out with my friends he is withdrawn or he just leaves. Sometimes he introduces me to a friend of his, but these people aren’t his friends, he never does anything with them, just talks to them on the internet.
 
I’m not sure if he’s Asperger’s or a sociopath. Whatever he is, he isn’t anywhere close to normal. Have you seen any sign of autism spectrum in your kids? It is genetic for sure. Someone who is ASD might say he is studying people to maneuver social situations, but they wouldn’t mean it in a creepy way. A sociopath would be doing it in order to have power over others.

I’m pretty concerned about your husband. And to have him working overseas, I assume in a Muslim country, with access to porn…:eek: Not good, not good at all.
No he is working in a Catholic country. I don’t know the signs of ASD well enough to diagnose but my oldest is kind of an oddball and three of the kids are quite shy and withdrawn. Two are babies and the other is the loudest friendliest most energetic preschooler ever. A lot of people think I have Asperger’s. My husband always reads books about psychology because he wants to figure out why people do the things they do. Sometimes he uses this information to try to analyze my behavior or intentions, which feels like I am being tested for a love or loyalty quotient or something.
 
Whether or not he has Asperger’s is of no importance here. It’s not like it would excuse any of this behavior. It’s apparent he’s being deliberately manipulative anyway.

OP, all I can say is keep trying to talk to different priests until you get one that takes you seriously and recognizes your husband as the threat that he is. You need more help with this than we can provide you alone. I’m seeing huge red flags in post after post of your descriptions of this guy.
 
May I ask you, what attracted you to your husband in the first place? Was he charming when you met and dated? Did he woo you? If so, I’d put him in the sociopath category.
He was very charming, he brought me flowers, talked about himself, asked a lot about what I thought. When I met him he didn’t make much money, and I set him on a course where he has become very successful at work and has been able to achieve his personal goals. He is always charming to people who are interesting to him, people who are usually very intelligent, or whose behavior he can’t figure out or have ideas he hasn’t heard before. It’s like he is just in the relationship because he likes the new ideas and information and is trying to figure the person out. He reciprocates, until he gets all the information they have or becomes bored. I guess that is why he thinks I am boring now that I am Catholic. He thinks he already has Catholicism all figured out. He doesn’t think the Trinity makes sense but he isn’t willing to even think about it. He said when someone starts talking about Christianity up goes a big black wall where he just blocks out the rest of what they are saying because so many people have made it their mission to convert him and he is just so over it because it is boring.
 
Robertanthony

I just wanted to add thank you for your advice on prayer. I do wish he would go to Confession but you are right about his pride. He is prideful and he has hardened his heart. I am glad that you used that word, pride, because he does believe that pride is a sin. Now if God provides me with the opportunity I can help him recognize that.
 
Your last paragraph shows that other people can be very wrong. You are NOT responsible for his soul, that is the job of the Holy Spirit. We can never take on that kind of responsibility! Please do not accept that burden that is not yours to carry!
👍 Absouletly correct.
 
How often does your husband come home? I’m assuming he’s working in a foreign predominately Catholic country and gets home a couple of times a month. I’m also assuming he’s working with a bunch of guys and, for some if not all, the main entertainment is porn. What about drugs, booze, and gambling? With his interest in porn, taking nude pictures of you, wanting sex acts he knows you aren’t going to do, and pervy e-mails, is there a chance he’s fooling around? Are you concerned about STD?

It appears he’ll do a lot of stuff to get your attention. He knows you are involved in your Catholicism. He can’t spend the time with Catholicism but studies Islam. Yes, he’s out there and I’d be at my wits end too.

How long is this job? Will he be home full time in the near future?
 
Your husband is both neglecting and abusing you.

I agree with all the good adivce you’ve received here.

Your husband is making marriage-wrecking choices and seems to have an unrealistic expectation of entitlement—that he should be cared for, regardless of his willingness to care in return.

If he refuses to meet your emotional needs despite your having asked him for change, you have every right to separate for a time. This does not have to mean you physically remove yourself from the home, but does mean informing him that that you will not meet his needs ( sexual or otherwise) until he consents to counselling and demonstrates a sincere desire to change.

I was one who with a husband like yours – I didn’t ask for change, and before I knew it, 30 years went by and we were both left with nothing.

Please don’t let this happen to you dear one.
 
Whether or not he has Asperger’s is of no importance here. It’s not like it would excuse any of this behavior. It’s apparent he’s being deliberately manipulative anyway.

OP, all I can say is keep trying to talk to different priests until you get one that takes you seriously and recognizes your husband as the threat that he is. You need more help with this than we can provide you alone. I’m seeing huge red flags in post after post of your descriptions of this guy.
I’m not going to turn this into an argument, because I agree with you that the OP’s husband has deeper problems, but people with ASD have social problems that are not intentional, so in a way, yes, they have an excuse. There are so many millions of cues that normal people see, that Aspies do not see at all, in facial expressions, body posture, voice tone, etc. Of course “normies” take all this for granted and are shocked when someone with Asperger’s ignores what to us, are obvious signs that someone is, for example, angry, frustrated, or sad. But they truly do not see things in the same way.

But they are not normally manipulative, they just come across as somewhat rude and thoughtless. They can be blunt in speech and action.

I do think the OP is dealing more with someone who is a sociopath. The studying of others for his own use is a key characteristic, as is the focus on just one person whom he says he loves, but treats more like a possession.

OP, I think you are dealing with someone who has a serious personality defect. If there is anyone who can help you, in your family, or through your church, to understand what you are facing, please get help. People like this are no one to toy around with.
 
He was very charming, he brought me flowers, talked about himself, asked a lot about what I thought. When I met him he didn’t make much money, and I set him on a course where he has become very successful at work and has been able to achieve his personal goals. He is always charming to people who are interesting to him, people who are usually very intelligent, or whose behavior he can’t figure out or have ideas he hasn’t heard before. It’s like he is just in the relationship because he likes the new ideas and information and is trying to figure the person out. He reciprocates, until he gets all the information they have or becomes bored. I guess that is why he thinks I am boring now that I am Catholic. He thinks he already has Catholicism all figured out. He doesn’t think the Trinity makes sense but he isn’t willing to even think about it. He said when someone starts talking about Christianity up goes a big black wall where he just blocks out the rest of what they are saying because so many people have made it their mission to convert him and he is just so over it because it is boring.
He considers people to be like toys or possessions. As long as he is interested in them, they capture his attention for a time. But when he is finished with them, there is no more interest and he discards them. Please see a counselor and describe this behavior to him/her. Talk to your priest. I don’t think it’s merely boredom, but disinterest because he has gotten what he wanted from that person and moved on.

I believe that all the perversion and requests for sexual acts has to do with intimidation of you and also trying to draw you into sin. He knows that what he is doing will trouble you, that’s why he’s doing it. He can turn that behavior on and off, as he demonstrates when he is home and not away at work.

You are getting NOTHING from this relationship, and you are also showing your children that getting NOTHING is acceptable. Do you really want to do that to your children? It’s one thing if we ourselves believe that we deserve no better, but then to continue that into the next generation? Not good.
 
I’m not going to turn this into an argument, because I agree with you that the OP’s husband has deeper problems, but people with ASD have social problems that are not intentional, so in a way, yes, they have an excuse. There are so many millions of cues that normal people see, that Aspies do not see at all, in facial expressions, body posture, voice tone, etc. Of course “normies” take all this for granted and are shocked when someone with Asperger’s ignores what to us, are obvious signs that someone is, for example, angry, frustrated, or sad. But they truly do not see things in the same way.
I’m an aspie myself. 😉
 
A little reminder to OP (apology if it’s stuff you already know) At this point, all your husband needs is imperfect contrition: a desire to not commit again the sins he confesses not out of love for God but simply out of fear of hell. God wants him in his kingdom but your husband needs to do his part. He’s got a good job, plenty of free time, a loving wife, Catholic for the win(:)), a beautiful family, he could get over himself and try his darnest to recreate for them what he didn’t have as a child.I don’t know if this is a good idea or not, but I found this was a pretty convincing testimony:youtube.com/watch?v=Aj9wCA3H7rk God bless you always.
 
You and your children are in my prayers. I hope you didn’t give him that piece of *** he was bragging about on Facebook. I wish I had advice or answers for you. I would think about what kind of example and influence your children are being exposed to. You deserve much better than this. So do they.
 
I suggest you read about narcissistic personality disorder.
 
How often does your husband come home? I’m assuming he’s working in a foreign predominately Catholic country and gets home a couple of times a month. I’m also assuming he’s working with a bunch of guys and, for some if not all, the main entertainment is porn. What about drugs, booze, and gambling? With his interest in porn, taking nude pictures of you, wanting sex acts he knows you aren’t going to do, and pervy e-mails, is there a chance he’s fooling around? Are you concerned about STD?

It appears he’ll do a lot of stuff to get your attention. He knows you are involved in your Catholicism. He can’t spend the time with Catholicism but studies Islam. Yes, he’s out there and I’d be at my wits end too.

How long is this job? Will he be home full time in the near future?
He comes every month, usually, and it’s equal time at home. People get fired and arrested if they drink or do drugs out there, it’s happened to some of the laborers, but as head of operations my husband absolutely could not get involved in drinking, drugs, or women. He would lose his job and his reputation in the industry would be destroyed forever. Plus it would be out of character for him, because he thinks people who get drunk, gamble, do drugs, and have affairs go to hell.

It might be an attention getting thing. He always has to have bizarre ideas about religion and politics and some other stuff. It’s like he just rejects what most people think just for the sake of asserting his individualism and independence. Everyone here is Catholic and Republican so he is like, “I’m not, I believe something unique and bizarre that you know nothing about, so you can’t argue with me and tell me I’m wrong, because you don’t even know what I believe!”
He considers people to be like toys or possessions. As long as he is interested in them, they capture his attention for a time. But when he is finished with them, there is no more interest and he discards them. Please see a counselor and describe this behavior to him/her. Talk to your priest. I don’t think it’s merely boredom, but disinterest because he has gotten what he wanted from that person and moved on.

I believe that all the perversion and requests for sexual acts has to do with intimidation of you and also trying to draw you into sin. He knows that what he is doing will trouble you, that’s why he’s doing it. He can turn that behavior on and off, as he demonstrates when he is home and not away at work.

You are getting NOTHING from this relationship, and you are also showing your children that getting NOTHING is acceptable. Do you really want to do that to your children? It’s one thing if we ourselves believe that we deserve no better, but then to continue that into the next generation? Not good.
I don’t think he is a sociopath, he seems a little to governed by his emotions. I wonder if his “I don’t care about people thing” is an act, he can be dramatic and I see indictions that he tends to empathize or identify with children, the mentally ill, crippled people, the sick and elderly shut-ins. He seems to have contempt for your average, healthy adult but he visits sick and injured people in the hospital, and our neighbor whom is suffering from dementia. He can’t stand to hear the children cry and will comfort them even if they are crying over nothing. Of course, if I cry it upsets him so instead of comforting me he leaves, which he would never do to anyone else, he would at the very least go through the motions.

He is definitely very selfish though, he doesn’t call his relatives, when his mother was dying of cancer he wasn’t visiting her in the hospital because it was painful for him (before we met, which he does feel remorse over), when his father died he didn’t go to the funeral because he didn’t like his father so his brother was alone there. He doesn’t even try to make other people comfortable in social settings, just because he doesn’t feel like it. Once I had a group of friends over for a holiday party and when everyone got here he just left to go talk to the neighbors for an hour. His own feelings tend to dictate his actions, so if he is uncomfortable, sad, disappointed or angry he just kind of bails without considering the impact of his actions on others.

I’m not going to being intimidated or bullied into sin, it just gets me angry. He does treat me like a possession, he even told me he objectifies me and I should be happy about it because he is not objectifying other women (because if he looks at porn he just pretends it is me). To him sex is probably the ultimate battle between him and the Church. Who owns me?

Yes, it is spiritually draining to be robbed of joy trying to draw him out of negativity. And losing hope because of his aversion and disinterest in my faith. And being drained of love by being his emotional support and not receiving the same in return. I do help him reach his goals, comfort him, care for him when he is ill or injured, counsel him, and I don’t get the same in return. But leaving him would only remove the suffering and sacrifice from my life, it wouldn’t fill my want of love and companionship from my spouse. I would still lack the approval, acceptance, conversation, love, comfort, spiritual companionship, respect and reciprocation I seek from my husband. To leave would probably destroy any hope I have left that he will convert and learn to treat me with love and dignity.
 
You and your children are in my prayers. I hope you didn’t give him that piece of *** he was bragging about on Facebook. I wish I had advice or answers for you. I would think about what kind of example and influence your children are being exposed to. You deserve much better than this. So do they.
No I didn’t. My monthly started the day he got home. I guess he is going to have a bad week. I guess it is divine justice.

I wish I had a good Catholic husband. Even if I did separate from my husband I don’t have grounds to prevent him from being around the children, and can’t imagine what type of women he might bring into their lives. If we stay together I have much more control over the environment the kids are in, even though I can’t control my husband’s behavior I have some influence. They will grow up and they will see what type of man their father is, and what type of woman I am. I am not a doormat, he might neglect me but he can’t manipulate me into doing something I don’t want to do.
 
He comes every month, usually, and it’s equal time at home. People get fired and arrested if they drink or do drugs out there, it’s happened to some of the laborers, but as head of operations my husband absolutely could not get involved in drinking, drugs, or women. He would lose his job and his reputation in the industry would be destroyed forever. Plus it would be out of character for him, because he thinks people who get drunk, gamble, do drugs, and have affairs go to hell.

It might be an attention getting thing. He always has to have bizarre ideas about religion and politics and some other stuff. It’s like he just rejects what most people think just for the sake of asserting his individualism and independence. Everyone here is Catholic and Republican so he is like, “I’m not, I believe something unique and bizarre that you know nothing about, so you can’t argue with me and tell me I’m wrong, because you don’t even know what I believe!”

So these guys are working 24/7 for a month and then off for a month but your husband has access to porn on his computer and that is okay because if he drank, gambled (which can be done on a computer), did drugs, and had affairs (acting out on porn), he’d go to hell.

From what you’ve said, I could imagine him not allowing vices because it would interfer with the restricted life the men are leading when they’re working but his reasons are pretty conventional for someone. He believes in hell.

" To leave would probably destroy any hope I have left that he will convert and learn to treat me with love and dignity.
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Conversion isn’t going to automatically make him the husband you want. I think you need to discuss this with a psychologist or psychiatrist first.

Apparently, he is most successful in his position. He functions there without any complaints from the men. Home is a different story. My feeling is his work is totally isolating for months at a time. There’s 30 days of nothing but work and no chance of doing anything “normal”. I’m sure there’s movies, TV, and exercise but this stuff can get old too.

Also you are in charge of the house for 30 days and then he comes home and establishes his territory. This can cause conflict. You’re in charge and then you must abdicate. You also must now take care of another person whom you’re not too keen on. He doesn’t relieve you. He adds to your stress.
 
Being a guy, I can give you an idea of what “might work” in this situation. Go online and find some good audio homilies that talk about love of neighbor and what God calls each of us to do as Christians. Start playing them out loud on the computer while you are doing things around the house. Do it often. He may only get a snip here or there when he is coming in to use the bathroom or to grab a snack or a glass of water, but he will hear some of it. You never know what is going to catch his ear. Then, after a month or so, invite your priest over for dinner. Don’t force the issue with your husband, just let him absorb things at his own pace. He will hear the message of the homilies and he will begin to think about them. Sit down and turn on EWTN once in awhile too. I don’t think he’s a lost cause. Look at it as a work in progress. Prayin’ for you!
 
Ok, before we pull out all the exotic words and accuse this poor man of being a sociopath…is it possible he is depressed? Large behavior changes and not caring about things you use to care about are classic signs of depression.

I’d try to get him to a doctor for a check-up and start from there.
 
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