Betrayal

Hello everyone and welcome back to the continuation of our series on Caravaggio.

This is episode 7, The Betrayal of Christ, and the picture we're looking at is called, historically, The Taking of Christ.

The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus coined the phrase truth is the first casualty of war in around 550 BC as Athens was encountering invading Persian armies for the first time.

Aeschylus as a young man engaged in fighting the Persians and knew the realities of such a forbidding experience.

Yet it is not necessary to be engaged in unrelenting battle to discover that those you once counted as friends, later in times of weakness or with hard-hearted intentionality, can betray friendship and abandon your very life, disposition and character.

Betrayal is perhaps the most obnoxious of all human behaviours.

as it risks not only destroying friendship, families, armies or workplaces, it also threatens the very existence of what we are as human beings.

Of course, in times of political stress or talk of war, our politicians will always make great statements of loyalty and support.

Mr. J is a certified betrayal trauma practitioner.

He holds a master's degree in education, is ministry credentialed, certified as an interpersonal relationship coach and an inspirational public speaker.

He's the author and contributor of many books, including his Betrayal Trauma Healing Journal, From Tears to Transformation.

He is a proud veteran of the United States military and an even prouder adoptive parent.

Mr. J began his career in theater until he was called into teaching.

So I'll just end there.

Oh, I do want to say, because you did ask me before, I'm sorry, how does betrayal trauma differ from non-betrayal trauma? And you're right.

Betrayal trauma, there's not a ounce or a component of your life that's not affected from betrayal trauma.

Okay, but other things can be present too.

Betrayal, deception, manipulation, gaslighting, not being transparent, constantly walking on eggshells, fearing the other person and their reaction, like legitimately fearing that they could harm you in some way, being isolated from your own community, being talked down to, being disrespected, being in a constant cycle of unhealthy patterns, right? So something happens and that triggers conflict.

It doesn't get resolved.

It gets pushed under the rug or it activates both of your coping mechanisms, your protections.

And at the end, it might even be some time, I'll be able to take a look at some of your questions too.

And stuff might come up as I'm talking about this, right? You know, when I think about the word betrayal, some of you, especially those in the United States, might have watched the TV show Betrayal.

I was fortunate to be a part of that project, and it was Jen Faison's Story of Betrayal.

You know, I'm going to be talking about some other stuff, programs we have to offer, and Jen's part of one of them.

Jen Faison's Story of Betrayal, I'm not going to tell it to you because I would actually go listen to her podcast or watch her series or listen to something we're going to sort of connect you with, too.

it's probably one of the worst stories of betrayal I've ever heard.

And I think it's very interesting to sort of hear what the worst case looks like and how a person plays that out.

I don't agree.

Righteous ways far from subtle.

Quick To take the head of a violator of the tribe It's nothing personal, I just can't take the lies Trickery and mystery, we deal with facts Bitches trying to make their way, laying on their backs Fuck that and anything similar The shit we bringing to the table Will enable my children to buy land in stables We gave a bull a buck rootin' Bad seeds who recruitin' The blind to the ways of the wicked They dyin' so we rip shit, sometimes explicit I'm out.

to go against the flows I kick with notoriety,

girl she try to be prepared when I scare the skins off of married men, when they're weaker at the knees and as she carrying, she'll catch baton chops when my song stops, your jaws dropped it all, I'm off to get raw, transistors pumping, Cause I've been saying every day that grammar pays Penetrates like gamma rays when a fake has to say Two cents to be a nuisance, you missed the call of the real vocalist When I opened this gift that I received when I believe I was ten I needed not a pen, even if a bit of a punk stats Willing to take the stage and wiggle their nutsacks The bigger the bowl they bring, the bigger the finger that I put back Look rats, we're good rappers with you, so when I look at your crew No comment, but funk that bunk Tracks get bumped back to back streets Like athletes with bad feet Check the fat beat That rock just connected in a second Now take a second look And if you check there's no hooks

Let's be honest about what we're dealing with.

Betrayal, especially in intimate relationships, doesn't just break trust.

It shatters our fundamental assumptions about safety, love, and the person we thought we knew.

When betrayal involves addiction, we're not just dealing with a single incident, and the damage runs deep.

I think that's a statement that we often heard growing up in our adult years.

And I'm absolutely convinced that time is not what heals infidelity, sexual betrayal.

Time is not going to be the healer here.

And so if you think that time is going to somehow make it go away, that has not been my experience.

And so now all of these emotions are burbling up as well.

Yeah.

And I often ask the question, if you haven't experienced anger after a betrayal, get ready.

And the reason why is when we look at the polyvagal theory, you don't skip from a dorsal vagal shutdown.

The weapons carried by this horde were also named.

The swords were named Intimidation, the spears were named Treachery, and the arrows were named Accusation, Gossip, Slander, and Fault-finding.

Scouts and smaller companies of demons with such names as Rejection, Bitterness, Impatience, Unforgiveness, and Lust were sent in advance of this army to prepare for the main attack.

These smaller companies and scouts were much fewer in number, but they were no less powerful than some of the larger divisions that followed.