Speed Racer,
I've been at this for a while myself: this week is the 7th anniversary of the initial bomb drop, and Sunday will be 6 years since she moved out. I don't post a lot, but I do read and comment on others' stories and try to offer advice (or point to people smarter than I am about this stuff).
I'm 100% convinced that my wife is in an MLC. The behavior isn't exactly the same as the male MLCers described here, but I got the "I love you but I'm not in love with you" speech; she was involved in an online emotional affair that very likely turned physical—she went and visited him before she moved out, and after she moved out I found evidence that they met at least once before the first BD. I don't know where things stand with them now. If she's still in contact with him or seeing him, no one else in her life has noticed. Her side of the family knows nothing of what is going on since she moved out—I don't think they even know, because I still get mail addressed to her at the house.
She's forgotten and rewritten history; I don't think she realizes how much time has passed since she moved out, because I pointed out that something she though only happened 2-3 years back actually happened over 8 years ago! I haven't gotten the monster since she left, but we had a couple of pretty bad fights before that.
The best thing you can do for yourself right now is to develop detachment. Learn to recognize and understand that her crisis isn't an attack on you. Also, take care of yourself both physically and financially. If you need to separate your finances, do it. Develop clear boundaries to help protect yourself from her Monster, or doing things to harm the marriage (running up joint credit cards or withdrawing money from bank accounts).
I don't like it when people say that "your marriage is over"—that's scary to read for someone who had just been hit with the bomb drop. But, I do believe that until your wife progresses through her MLC, you can't work on healing your marriage. If she were in the hospital after a bad car accident, you wouldn't ask her to do housework or go to your parents' anniversary dinner, would you?
However, many MLCers do get divorced. They're searching for something they feel they have lost, so they discard parts of their lives they think are holding them back. Maybe they're having an affair and feel that the other person is their true soulmate. Or, they think they are doing you a favor by freeing you up to find someone new, so they can feel less guilty about hurting you. In some cases, a left-behind spouse may seek divorce to protect themselves and their families financially. Divorce might be the end of the old marriage but it doesn't have to be the end of the relationship. You can choose to continue to Stand if you think things can still be reconciled once she's done.
Me: 45, Her: 40. Married 16 1/2 years, together(-ish) 20.
Status: BD 8/25/09, she moved out 8/28/10. No talk of D.
Every day is another chance to get it right.
http://www.vachss.com/mission/behavior.html"Counting days won't buy us years" —Wings by HAERTS
"Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past." —Lily Tomlin
"When we commit to our lovers, we implicitly promise to forgive them. There is no other way we can live with someone for better or worse or until death do us part." —Dr. Frederic Luskin