Learning how to deal with an affair or infidelity in your relationship is extremely difficult.
Many couples are embarrassed, ashamed, angry, resigned, unsure and find it difficult to manage as many thoughts and emotions arise as they try to sort through and make sense of what happened in their relationship.
This process is an emotional roller coaster especially early on when learning about the affair or betrayal.
Infidelity in Relationships
Many times people can experience similar feelings of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when learning about or discovering an affair.
Some of these symptoms and feelings can include:
- Intrusive recollections of the event, nightmares, and flashbacks
- Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
- Intense or prolonged distress after exposure to traumatic reminders
- Physiological reactivity after exposure to trauma-related stimuli such as irritability or anger
- Difficulty concentrating
- Being hypervigilant
- Persistent effort to avoid trauma related stimuli, such as avoiding thoughts, feelings, and external reminders
- Information taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder
Overcoming an Affair
Many times people think an affair is the end of a relationship but it doesn’t have to be. There is hope for couples who are committed and willing to do whatever it takes to save their relationship and deal with an affair.
In fact many couples who get help report having a better relationship after an affair or major infidelity.
It is best to seek a mental health professional as soon as possible, one who is specifically trained in working as a marriage counselor with couples who have had an affair or betrayal. Picking the right marriage counselor or couples therapist is crucial in this process.
This is a very specialized area, and both partners need to feel supported as they go through the process to heal from the affair and relationship problems.
I am here and ready to support you on this journey, helping you heal and writing a new chapter in the course of your relationship!
Marriage Counseling for Affairs & Infidelity in Coral Springs, FL
Overcoming an affair is not easy. It takes work, time, energy, money, and patience. You will need to make your relationship a priority, yourself and each other. This is a healing process and it takes time.
Before we start therapy for surviving infidelity, both partners should read through these questions and answer them honestly:
- Am I committed to working on my relationship and doing whatever it takes?
- Am I willing to cease all communication, contact, etc. with the affair partner or source of betrayal (online websites, Facebook, etc.)? (Partner involved in the affair/betrayal)
- Am I willing to deal with the emotions that come with working through the affair or betrayal?
- Am I willing to learn ways to manage my emotions and communicate in ways that enhance my relationship rather than further hurt or damage my relationship?
- Am I willing to take care of myself in this process, have my own outlets that are healthy?
- Am I willing to take responsibility for my actions, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions?
- Am I willing to make time for my relationship to enhance connection, deepen friendship and create healing?
- Am I willing to reflect and to gain insight and share, communicate, listen, and understand myself and my partner?
- Am I willing to be able to look at what happened in the relationship that may have contributed to the affair occurring?
If you answered “yes” to these questions CLICK HERE to give us a call. You are ready to start the process of Affair Recovery.
If you are unsure if you are ready, thinking about leaving, or perhaps even questioning your relationship we can assist as well.
Couples Therapist for Surviving Infidelity in Coral Springs, FL
Katie Lemieux provides couples therapy and marriage counseling for infidelity in relationships and overcoming an affair from her office in Coral Springs, FL. She also serves Parkland, Coconut Creek, Margate, Boca Raton, and the surrounding Fort Lauderdale area.