Picking Up the Pieces After Infidelity: Steps to Restoration
A committed marriage between two individuals is one of life’s biggest pleasures. Unfortunately, not every marriage remains in a monogamous state. Infidelity that occurs in a marriage, whether it is sexual or non-sexual, often leaves deep emotional and psychological wounds in its aftermath. Life as you knew it with your spouse no longer exists. Your world is suddenly upside down. What does it take for the marriage to survive?
According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, fifteen percent of women and twenty-five percent of men have had sexual intercourse outside their marital bonds. Regarding non-sexual infidelities such as internet dating or sexual addiction, the rate is twenty percent higher than those mentioned above.
The good news is that there is help for couples who want to save their marriage. Once the disclosure of an affair is made known, the couple must agree to the next steps together for healing to begin. If one spouse is unwilling to continue the marriage after the disclosure of the infidelity, steps for self-care are crucial regardless of the other spouse’s willingness to reconcile. Should the couple mutually desire therapy, the couple has several options based on their unique circumstances. For couples who cannot sit in the same room together for various reasons, but still want to commit to the marriage, individual counseling could be a viable option.
In addition to individual counseling, if the couple can sit down together, marriage therapy would be a great starting place. The most important aspect of any treatment, whether individual or couples therapy, is to begin the healing process in each heart and discover the cause of the infidelity. Once healing begins, other goals such as building trust between the couple may follow. Before a couple decides that divorce is their only option, individual or couples counseling specializing in infidelity may be suitable. Contact Family Restoration Counseling Services today!