NPE -Child of an Affair

Today is Part 1 of my conversation with Erin C. Cofounder of Togetherness Heals Support Group and Hiraeth Hope and Healing Retreats for NPE's DCP's and LDA's. The retreat discussed in the podcast has already taken place at the time of publication. There are more coming up in July and in October of 2024. See the link below to learn more and register. Hiraeth Hope and Healing Retreats https://www.hiraethhopeandhealing.com/ Listen to her Wandering Tree podcast episode listed below to hear more of what the day to day of a retreat experience is really like. Erin was the first person to make me feel welcomed and supported in Nov 2021 after spending months feeling overwhelmed and alone with my discovery. She shares her NPE discovery with a focus on how finding out she was conceived from an affair. How she worked through the difficult times with her mother and the terrible way her bio father behaved once she decided to have her own regency and reach out to her half siblings. Erin's dedication to service in the NPE Community is where she finds that Togetherness Heals. Erin has been on the following podcasts: Missing Pieces: The 4 Pillars Everything's Relative with Eve Sturges NPE Stories Family Twist https://familytwistpodcast.com/episodes/hiraeth-hope-healing-part-two/ Wandering Tree Podcast S3:E11 Strangers to Family : the Healing Impact of Retreats with Hiraeth, Hope and Healing Once upon a time in adoptee land https://www.onceuponatimeinadopteeland.com/episode/122-erin-cosentino-hiraeth-hope-and-healing-part-3 NPE Child of an Affair updates: And check out my episode on Family Twist Part 1 below: Part 2 will be available on Family Twist on Tuesday May 7. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/opening-up-about-being-the-child-result-of-an-affair/id1618794558?i=1000651871833

Lily Wood started The NPE Stories Podcast in 2019 after her own NPE discovery, finding healing in listening to others stories. She is an active member of the NPE community as a volunteer and speaker at summits and events. Her podcast has had over 190 episodes at the time of this recording. Thank you Lily for all that you do and for inspiring me to start this podcast. Your podcast as been so healing for me especially in the early months of feeling isolated and alone in my feelings with no one who understood what I was going through and thank you to all her guests for helping me and many others. Lily shares her discovery and how finding out about her conception from an affair had an impact on her. How estrangement was the right choice for Lily to protect her boundaries from her mothers behavior and lack of empathy and ownership of keeping the secret from her for so long. And she discusses how being of service has also helped her on her healing journey. You can find NPE Stories here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/npe-stories/id1464478802 Lily has been a guest on the following podcast episodes: DNA Surprises- Lily's DNA Surprise 10-24-2023 Missing Pieces NPE Life- The Spouses Speak and The 4 Pillars Everything's Relative with Eve Sturges- Lily Wood NPE Stories special Crossover Episode 11-30-2020 The Secret in my DNA- A Sounding Board Lily's Story 02-10-2022 Reverend and Reprobate Podcast- DNA Tests Family Trees and NPE Stories Lily Wood 06-30-2022 Please follow and rate my podcast. More information Untangling Our Roots Summit Denver Colorado April 25-29, 2024 https://untanglingourroots.org/ Check out my podcast episode on another NPE Podcast: Family Twist which aired on April 9th, 2024 here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/opening-up-about-being-the-child-result-of-an-affair/id1618794558?i=1000651871833

Canadian NPE Laurel shares her journey of discovery and contact and connecting with her new Biological family and how finding out about the affair gave way to different reactions from her new half siblings. Resources Mentioned Not Parent Expected Canada is a public site- connect here to find the Gateway to join the Private Support Group https://notparentexpected.ca/ The Canadian specific group helps provide support, research assistance and resources available in Canada. Privacy laws and resources can vary from country to country. Please contact a mental health practitioner in your area if you need support.

I am so excited to have Jen who is an NPE -Child of an Affair and a Therapist share some of her own healing journey and insights of this discovery as our first guest. If you want to hear Jen's Full NPE discovery story head over the "DNA Surprises Podcast" her episode aired on May 23, 2023. Titled “Jen's DNA Surprise”. Trigger warning: We dig into the deeper feelings around her conception and that energy of her creation from the affair. This episode is not therapy. Please contact a mental health practitioner if you are experiencing difficulties and need support. If you would like to be a guest, contact me at npechildofanaffair@gmail.com Resources Mentioned: Support Groups and Retreats Hiraeth Hope and Healing Retreats for NPE/MPEs https://www.hiraethhopeandhealing.com Not Parent Expected Canada https://notparentexpected.ca/ Search Facebook for NPE Groups Other resources IFS Therapist-Stands for Internal Family Systems- Richard C. Swartz Author/Therapist EMDR Therapist- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing NLP- Neurolinguistic Programming   Other Amazing NPE Podcasts Missing Pieces NPE Life NPE Stories Everything's Relative with Eve Sturges DNA Surprises Pulled by the Root Cutoff Genes Family Twist DNA Discoveries Family Secrets with Dani Shapiro Sex Lies and the Truth The Secret in my DNA If you would like to be a guest contact me at npechildofanaffair@gmail.com.

A warm up episode to sharing my full story. I read a letter I sent this week to my biological half sister to confirm that a year ago I received confirmation from a cousins DNA test that their father Jack, was also by bio dad. Please join me. I look forward to recording your NPE Child of a Affair story soon. You can email me at npechildofanaffair@gmail.com Resources mentioned: Book: If you only knew- Navigating DNA Surprises and the NPE World by Lezlee Liljenberg. Facebook Private Group- Search for NPE Support on your facebook and complete the questions in the screening room for the group you would like to join. Please note there are some public informational pages and Private ones for support choose a private one to participate in support online.

I created this podcast as a supportive space to share our stories and perspectives around finding out that we are the child from an affair our parents had. You can share your interest in being a guest by emailing me at npechildofanaffair@gmail.com. This is a Supportive space only for those working through the discovery. Family members involved, therapists and experts on working through the Not Parent Expected Child of an Affair discovery are also welcome. You are not alone.

Are you the child of an affair, a therapist who works with those dealing with this type of discovery, are you the mother, father or bio dad or siblings newly found or from the original family and want to share your story to help support other NPE's who have recently found out that they are the child of an affair. You can reach me at npechildofanaffair@gmail.com. Let's dig in and talk about all the angles of this and how we can work together whether independently or has a family to navigate and work on healing from such a shock and trauma that affects our identity and sense of self. You are not alone. This is a Supportive environment only any comments or emails to the contrary will be deleted and blocked. Resources: Books: NPE* a Story guide for Unexpected DNA Discoveries by Leanne R Hay Healing Journey for your MPE Discovery by Lynne W Spencer Who even am I anyway- a process journal for Adoptees, Late Discovery Adoptees, Donor Conceived NPE, and MPE Community by Eve Sturges My Re-Birthday Book- This is My Story by Kara Rubenstein Deyerin Other resources: Support Groups on Facebook- Search for NPE Support on Facebook Not Parent Expected Canada Hiraeth Hope and Healing retreat for NPE's