Infidelity can destroy a relationship. It can lead to emotional pain and loss of trust. If it has happened to you or someone you love, couples therapy can help you salvage your relationship and improve your mental health. Therapy provides a safe space where you and your partner can express your feelings, work through the betrayal and start to rebuild trust. The following sections explore the benefits of couples therapy after cheating and how it can help you move forward.
Why Couples Therapy After Cheating?
Infidelity is a leading cause of divorce. According to estimates, it accounts for 20% to 40% of marriage breakups. And it destroys many more relationships between unmarried couples. If you’ve experienced infidelity in your relationship, couples therapy can help you decide how to move forward.
How can couples therapy benefit you after your partner has been unfaithful? First, it can help you determine if your relationship is worth saving. Did your partner stray because they have a natural aversion to monogamy, or was there a triggering issue in your relationship that wasn’t properly addressed?
If the affair resulted from underlying problems in the relationship, infidelity therapy can help both you and your partner uncover those issues, thereby making it easier to address future relationship troubles before they lead to another episode of cheating.
Therapy also provides a platform for open communication — a critical component for rebuilding trust — and it can help you manage the emotional aftermath of infidelity, which can include depression, anxiety and even a form of PTSD.
How Therapy Can Help Address Infidelity
Aside from uncovering the underlying issues that might have led one partner to cheat and assisting the wronged partner through the aftermath of the betrayal, therapy can help address infidelity in several ways. When both partners take it seriously, it can help them chart a path forward for the future of the relationship, communicate more effectively with one another and rebuild trust.
Therapy can help you and your partner decide whether your relationship is worth saving or if it’s best to move on. By exploring the underlying factors that led to infidelity and assessing the potential for healing, you can make the best decision about your future together.
Effective communication is essential for rebuilding trust and resolving conflicts and issues that arise going forward. Therapy can help arm you with the communication skills to recognize and deal with small problems before they metastasize into bigger problems. With better and clearer communication, you and your partner will have an easier time understanding each other’s feelings and needs.
One of the biggest consequences of infidelity is the erosion of trust within a relationship. Therapy for cheaters can help you work through the betrayal and find ways to rebuild that trust.
Protecting Your Mental Health After Infidelity
Infidelity can be traumatic for your relationship and your mental health. It can lead to emotional distress, the erosion of self-worth and even a condition similar to PTSD called post-infidelity stress disorder (PISD). Symptoms of this disorder may include recurring thoughts about the infidelity, numbness and avoidance behaviors.
It’s crucial to protect your mental health after infidelity. Therapy can help you get back into a good place mentally and emotionally.
What do therapists say about affairs? First, they underscore that a person’s self-worth should never be determined by their partner’s actions, good or bad. You should never blame yourself for your partner’s infidelity or allow them to convince you that they strayed because you weren’t good enough or weren’t providing what they needed in the relationship.
Therapy after infidelity can also help you prioritize your physical and emotional well-being. This can include eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and maintaining good hygiene. It can teach you the best coping strategies to manage your emotions after an affair. For example, cognitive restructuring can help you change the narrative in your mind about the infidelity, which can be especially helpful if you’re trying to stop blaming yourself.
Finally, if your therapist determines that you’re indeed suffering from PISD, they can help you treat it effectively so you can get back to being yourself. To recover from PISD, it’s important to address the trauma your partner’s infidelity caused. This can include understanding how past traumas may be influencing your response to your partner’s misdeeds.
If you or someone you love has experienced infidelity, a compassionate therapist from MHH can help you get both your relationship and your mental health back on track. Contact us today to speak with one of our professionals.