“ET TU, BRUTE?” Don’t Let Betrayal Bury Your Heart By: Aaron Welch, LMHC, NCC
“Et Tu, Brute?” These are the words of Caesar after he realizes his best friend and confidante was a party to his assassination, as written in Shakespeare’s well-known tragedy. Translated, this phrase means, “You too, Brutus?” Wow! Only three short words but one can feel the genuine surprise and heartfelt pain that only surfaces when a person is betrayed by someone they believed they could trust. If there are situations that cause more pain than this, they are few. It is the husband who comes home early from work to discover his bride in the arms of another. It is the fluttering pain felt in the pit of the stomach when you stand alone, surrounded by laughing peers, and notice that your best friend is joining in with the laughter. It’s sharing your heart with someone you love only to have that person grossly mishandle it and allow it (or cause it) to shatter into pieces. It is betrayal. And its effects on us are devastating and potentially lethal to our hearts. If we are betrayed severe