Camino widow
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- None
Dear Pilgrims,
I begin this thread about my experience in the hope of understanding. I have not walked the Camino but have been greatly affected by it.
I welcome your support. I want to know about your experiences. After seeing the movie and spending two years preparing, my husband walked the Camino de Frances. He found the experience physically and more importantly, emotionally challenging.
Lots of issues from his past came up to confront him and in his despair he turned to a young girl for comfort who reminded him of me, his wife. When my husband came home, I did not recognise him and he could not integrate back into life, work or our relationship.
The surprise welcome home party to celebrate his achievement was cancelled as he was clearly not happy to be home and I was devastated to have been cheated on. He sought counselling with no positive result. He said part of him was still on the Camino.
The young girl he had an affair with hounded us and made all sorts of demands of him and this was very distressing. After months of pain trying to resolve things, he chose to end our marriage and left to go back to Spain to walk again. He is still wandering around Europe somewhere trying to find himself, leaving his wife and children at home to grieve his loss.
He says he loves us but he is truly lost. I know the Camino is a wonderful thing for so many and I am even thinking of walking it to try to heal and understand from this.
But the Camino should also come with a warning.
It can be confronting, challenging and traumatic for some and devastating for others.
I would like to know what other peoples thoughts are on this, especially anyone who has had this happen to them while at home being supportive and waiting for their loved ones to return.
Thank you
I begin this thread about my experience in the hope of understanding. I have not walked the Camino but have been greatly affected by it.
I welcome your support. I want to know about your experiences. After seeing the movie and spending two years preparing, my husband walked the Camino de Frances. He found the experience physically and more importantly, emotionally challenging.
Lots of issues from his past came up to confront him and in his despair he turned to a young girl for comfort who reminded him of me, his wife. When my husband came home, I did not recognise him and he could not integrate back into life, work or our relationship.
The surprise welcome home party to celebrate his achievement was cancelled as he was clearly not happy to be home and I was devastated to have been cheated on. He sought counselling with no positive result. He said part of him was still on the Camino.
The young girl he had an affair with hounded us and made all sorts of demands of him and this was very distressing. After months of pain trying to resolve things, he chose to end our marriage and left to go back to Spain to walk again. He is still wandering around Europe somewhere trying to find himself, leaving his wife and children at home to grieve his loss.
He says he loves us but he is truly lost. I know the Camino is a wonderful thing for so many and I am even thinking of walking it to try to heal and understand from this.
But the Camino should also come with a warning.
It can be confronting, challenging and traumatic for some and devastating for others.
I would like to know what other peoples thoughts are on this, especially anyone who has had this happen to them while at home being supportive and waiting for their loved ones to return.
Thank you