My discovery of a new type of jealousy due to my ex

Hi everyone, this is not my first post on this forum, although I did have my first deleted because it was way too long. Anyway, I've revisited this place a few times and it seems like a great place to express inner thoughts. I'm not really seeking advice, but would love to have an open discussion on something I noticed within myself with others who might relate.

I came across this term for the first time two days ago: "retroactive jealousy" (the inability to get over your partner's past). Have you ever experienced this?

I will explain what led me to discovering this term.

Well, I have never been the type of person to care in any notable capacity about my partners' former relationships. I've been in 4 relationships, and exes or sexual history never mattered much, until now.

My most recent ex came back into my life about 3 months ago. We were in a long term relationship a few years ago, and had reconnected once before post our break up. The first time we reconnected he had had sex with about 5 different ppl. That never mattered. This time around, the number is 2, 1 girl he had a 1 year long relationship with, the second was someone he briefly dated.

What I have realized, is that slowly, though I did not care initially, the idea that he had a long term relationship has made being with him almost unbearable. Since our now second reconnection 2-3 months ago, the possibilities of us getting back together seemed higher and that's why my feelings got so deeply involved. As he would blurt out things about this former relationship, plaguing thoughts slowly crept into my mind. It began really, with sexual thoughts. These include imagining him and the girl together, in bed. This marked the beginning of my bout with retroactive jealousy. What happens is your imagination goes crazy, you picture them in varying positions, to the point that sex with your now partner, is not enjoyable because these thoughts then start coming to you while you're trying to get intimate. You also develop crippling curiosity.
One night I woke up and felt I must ask my ex about every detail surrounding he and his exes' sex life. How many times, where, when, every possible position.. my brain told me I needed the information so that I wouldn't rely on my imagination again. But when I woke up later that morning, the topic never came up and (luckily) I couldn't bring myself to ask. ((Other people are not so fortunate))

As the days go by though, this spreads. Anything that is mentioned, can trigger some kind of visceral curiosity about him with his ex. Did they go to this restaurant that we just passed by? He said they went on an overseas trip, how much did he enjoy it? How did they spend the time? Did she know a lot of his friends... Family? You begin scouring social media . (Luckily for me again, there was hardly a trace of their relationship on SM. The girl also does not have any SM accts).

I feel like, to others who have not experienced this, it might sound stupid and childish, but the uncontrollable thoughts can get pretty bad. For two weeks straight I came under intense anxiety and had suicidal thoughts.. they would wake me up in the middle of the night.

I will say, that I have not allowed this to spiral out of control, though I have noticed a significant decline in my focus in the past 2-3 months. But based on what I've read and heard online, if the beast of curiosity is fed, retroactive jealousy can really take over a person's life. The thing for me is that, I don't think I would feel like this if this were a new relationship. I think what has triggered my thoughts are some of the things my ex has said, that have sounded like comparisons and drove me deep inside myself where seeds of doubt and curiosity were planted. Because of this, I have my own ideas about how retroactive jealousy truly starts, and how its not always the sufferers fault or self inflicted insecurity. It's ideas I haven't heard many talk about.

Many people though, who suffer badly from this are in New relationships so I believe that it occurs on a spectrum. Has anyone experienced this to the point that they might be willing to have a discussion about it?

Hey @thebigmermaid
I found out that its sometimes called retrospective or retrograde jealousy

Quote:

What is Retrospective Jealousy? Jealousy can arise not only about the present but also about the past—even the past before you met your current partner. In the course of getting to know your partner you learn that they had past lovers, maybe a former spouse, adventures with people you never knew and now you think about them and wonder what this means about your current relationship. For example, when you hear about a former lover, does it make you anxious, make you doubt your partner’s feelings about you, or make you think that you are just another stop along an endless journey that they are taking? This is what is called “retrospective jealousy” and this can plague your relationship and destroy any trust that you have. Look at the following statements and see if any of these fit you. I often think about the fact that my current partner had a lover in the past. When I think about this I feel uneasy—anxious and worried. I wonder if my current partner had a better relationship with their former lover. I want to be the only person that they ever enjoyed or had passion with. What Does Their Past Mean to You? Since everyone has a past—some more adventuresome than others—your jealousy may be intensified if you think the following thoughts: I should be the only person my partner ever desired. If my partner enjoyed sex with someone else then they might go back to that person. If they enjoyed sex with someone else, then they will leave me for another person. It’s dangerous to my current relationship if my partner has fond memories about a past partner. Does any of this sound familiar? How does it affect your current relationship? Does it make you less trusting, less secure, and feeling like you are second-best? Are You Suffering From Emotional Perfectionism? This is a form of perfectionism that many of us have at points in time when we think that our emotions should be pure, good, comfortable, or even wonderful. For example, we become intolerant of unpleasant emotions such as jealousy, boredom, ambivalence, or loneliness. We think we should feel good all the time. How is this related to retrospective jealousy? In retrospective jealousy, we believe in "romantic perfectionism"—that everything about our relationship and the feelings that we both have should be wonderful, idealized, and romantic. Part of this is what I call "desire perfectionism," where we think that our partner should never have had desires, love, or satisfaction with anyone else. What is the downside of this kind of perfectionism? We can’t tolerate that our partner had feelings, sex, desire, and romance before. We want to eliminate the past memories, the past experiences that they had—and we can’t do that. We can’t erase their past. So we view their past—especially any fond memories that they may have—as a current threat. How can you think of this in a more adaptive, realistic way? Put the Shoe on Your Foot Let’s look at your own experience. Were there people you desired and found sexual satisfaction in before you met your current partner? Should you feel guilty about that? Or does this mean that you have had a healthy, normal past experience with other people? Should your current partner distrust you? After all, think about your past and the experiences that you enjoyed. Wasn’t it fun? Does this mean that you can’t love and commit yourself to your current partner because you had fun in the past? If you had pleasure with past partners does this mean that you cannot control yourself now? Are you constantly going back to your past partners and having sex with them? Why not? Is the past “now”—the past for you? Have you left your past behind? If any of this is true for you, maybe it’s true for your partner. What is a Realistic Way to Look at the Past? Since everyone has a past, it’s going to be important to have a realistic way to cope with that. We can see that your romantic perfectionism will get in the way and your desire for “purity” is unrealistic in the 21st century. Imagine if you were 30 years old and you met someone your age who said, “You are the only person I have ever felt attracted to, the only person that has aroused any passion in me, and the only person I have really enjoyed talking to." Imagine that. Would you believe them? I doubt it. Try to have a more realistic view of past relationships. Here are some suggestions: I should not be the only person my partner ever desired. If my partner enjoyed sex with someone else then it means nothing about the possibility that they might go back to that person. If they enjoyed sex with someone else, then they can also enjoy sex with me. It’s not dangerous to my current relationship if my partner has fond memories about a past partner. It's natural for all of us to reflect on positive experiences in the past. That's what memories are for. Keep in mind that the reason the relationship is in the past is that it didn’t work. That doesn’t mean that your partner didn’t have some good experiences—just as you have had past relationships and had fun with someone else. The key to the current relationship—the one that you want to make as good as it can be—is accepting that there was a past before this relationship but to focus on the present, to make this the best it can be so that you can have a future together.

Quote:

Retrograde Jealousy Cure #1: Get Counseling Seeking professional help from a therapist works for some, if you can afford it. Personally, I believe it’s not really the best solution as 99% of therapists have zero experience with retrograde jealousy. Not only that, but it takes ages to find someone suitable and costs a small fortune. Check out this post for more info: Should You Pay For Retroactive Jealousy Therapy. If you do decide to go for it, choose Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) rather than traditional “Tell me about your childhood” counseling. Retrograde Jealousy Cure #3: Do The Work Needed To Cure Yourself As daunting as it may seem at first, getting over retrograde jealousy by yourself is not as hard as you may think. In fact, it can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever accomplish in your life. The truth is, you’re only feeling the way you do right now because your mind has become trapped by a certain way of thinking. And, as I’ve already mentioned, these thoughts are leading to negative emotions, which in turn are making you act out and do things you know you shouldn’t: Pick fights with your partner, invade their personal space, and spend hours Googling “how do I stop being jealous of my partner’s past”, etc. And so the vicious cycle of negative thoughts, emotions and actions continues… The problem is, it won’t go away by itself. If this was the case, it probably would have done so already. (Trust me, I know this because I get emails from people who’ve been plagued by retrograde jealousy for fifteen years or more.) Likewise, it won’t go away simply by reading a blog post, watching a video, or being reassured by your partner just how much they love you. While these activities may help in the short term, they are passive and therefore unlikely to magically make your retrospective jealousy disappear overnight. In short, you can’t think your way out of it by going over and over in your head what happened in the past, why you’re jealous, or what to do about it all. You need a plan. The three steps to this plan to getting over retrograde jealousy go like this: Understanding retrograde jealousy: this involves learning about the reasons why we as human beings fall victim to conditions like this, and why you personally may be feeling the way you do. Rewiring the mind: the second phase involves changing the way you think about your partner’s past and seeing it in a positive rather than a negative light. It means breaking the negative habit loop that’s already in place in your mind and replacing it with positive thoughts and emotions not only about your partner’s past, but about yourself. Take action: once you’ve retrained the mind it’s time to take practical action as it’s only by doing that you can really break the so-called power retrograde jealousy currently has over you. This means doing a number of practical exercises daily, until they become part of your routine, gradually reducing the effects of retrograde jealousy.