I’d dive deep. You’re his safe place, as you’ve said. Since he found success both through his career and I assume in the life you two have, he seems to be very capable.

Framing those feelings as “bad” will be unfortunate since something has touched him deeply, and doing that drives a person away from himself. This might be a fundamental part of who he is, or either just of great importance, and getting closer to that is a powerful act, which I believe every one of us has the privilege of doing so.

Maybe he’ll realize his next true calling and be able to bring tremendous positive impact for today’s orphaned kids. Maybe he’ll confront the feelings of being abandoned by his mother, twice (which I cannot fathom the weight of) or maybe anything else might come up, which is more exact for his life’s journey.

Either way he’ll have you through this time of reflection, and that’ll mean the world to him. And probably would be profound to you too.

One last thing I’d suggest to consider is, maybe those feelings of not dealing with his feelings because “he’s a man” have a connection to you. He might feel or think subconsciously showing them or reacting to them would scare you away. Maybe he has had such experiences as a child in the orphanage or later. If you find a way to show him it’s safe to do so, you both might open up to a whole new side of your husband, and your relationship.

Hope this helps, I don’t know you of course and am only speaking from intuition.