If you discover that your spouse has been unfaithful to you, you might just want to look to the future and let the marriage end. However, infidelity does not have to be the end of your marriage if you both decide to work through the problem with professional guidance. Even though you've been hurt by your partner, your relationship can benefit from counseling that will help you process feelings of anger, guilt, resentment, and betrayal. Then, hopefully, you can move forward in your marriage to healthier and happier times together.
Processing Change
Confronting infidelity can mean a lot of changes in your relationship. You may not feel willing to spend a great deal of time with your partner, and you might even wish for a temporary separation. Therapy can help you process the changes that are happening, but it can also help you stay grounded as you go through months of trust work.
Your counselor can give you advice on how to manage your grief because of the strain these actions caused to your relationship while also giving you the strength to show up for work, raise children, and complete other obligations.
Communication Strategies for Injured Parties
If you have children from your marriage, you may struggle to know how to talk with them about the situation at hand. You want to prevent your children from feeling more worried and concerned than they already do. Your therapist can give you ideas and guidance on how to handle the emotions of your children in a way that will help promote their healing. They can also give your ways to talk with each other safely, especially when so much anger and sadness are present in these situations.
Building Trust
Many people who have experienced infidelity in their marriage have trouble trusting that they can have a healthy relationship again. They might not feel like they can trust their own judgment, and that they were naive or ignorant in their relationship. Counseling can help you reframe the experience and give you a place to share some of the feelings of self-blame you might be experiencing as a result.
It is normal to grieve and to still have feelings of love toward the offending spouse. Those feelings can feel painful and confusing alongside new feelings of betrayal. Processing these feelings can help you move past them and find confidence in yourself. This confidence can help you move down the path of forgiveness and help you learn to trust your spouse again.
Contact a therapy office near you to learn more about infidelity counseling options.
