We have a romantic ideal in which we turn to one person to fulfill an endless list of needs: to be my greatest lover, my best friend, the best parent, my trusted confidant, my emotional companion, my intellectual equal. And I am it: I'm chosen, I'm unique, I'm indispensable, I'm irreplaceable, I'm the one. And infidelity tells me I'm not. It is the ultimate betrayal. Infidelity shatters the grand ambition of love. But if throughout history, infidelity has always been painful, today it is often traumatic, because it threatens our sense of self.
It’s true that affairs or any form of infidelity can be one of the most damaging injuries in any relationship. They can also be a catalyst to transforming relationships. Of course this proposition can seem like a stretch for couples who have recently been affected by an infidelity. Injured partners understandably question how they will ever be able to trust the other person again.
Infidelity is unfortunately commonplace in our society. For a variety of reasons, many couples in the wake of infidelity decide to stay together and try to repair their relationships. While not every relationship will survive an infidelity, those who do decide to attempt repair tend to have more success when they enlist the help of professional counselors.
The counselors at Counseling & Recovery Partners have the combined experience and knowledge to help couples navigate the healing process: from helping injured partners heal from the betrayal experienced; to working with the person who committed the infidelity make amends; and providing couples counseling to explore the meaning of the infidelity and the future of their relationship.
Today in the west, most of us are going to have 2 or 3 relationships/marriages, and some of us are going to do it with the same person. Your first marriage is over. Would you like to create a second one together? – Esther Perel