It's absolutely possible to heal from infidelity. Although the pain and grief can be intense, it's also possible to work on the relationship so that you and your partner are able to move on.
Getting Over The Pain Of Infidelity
It takes around 2 to 5 years for the pain of infidelity to fade. Recovering from infidelity and strengthening your marriage takes patience and dedication from both of you. You must work together as partners.
"Even if you are feeling intense anger and hurt, you can begin again, but it's got to be a totally new relationship and a new monogamy." Couples who are committed to forgiving, seeing the big picture, and communicating honestly are well-equipped to overcome infidelity, according to experts.
Unfortunately, there are several long-term effects of infidelity that can affect a person long after the cheating has stopped. These can be life-changing, and lead to the development of certain mental health conditions including chronic depression, anxiety, post-infidelity stress disorder, and betrayal trauma.
Infidelity makes you feel that you are not good enough. Your self-esteem plummets from reasonably high, or just okay, to close to zero. Your beloved found someone who was better and more attractive than you in his or her eyes—at least temporarily. You feel like trash, unworthy of being loved, unworthy of being.
Infidelity can be traumatic, causing intensely painful emotions for the person who was cheated on. They may actually experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including heightened anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and emotional distress.
Recovering from betrayal trauma is not something that can be done in a day or two. On average, it usually takes between eighteen months to three years to absolutely recover, especially with a lot of help and moral support.
There is no set time for affair recovery.
However, there can be a period of healing. During this time, you and your spouse will take specific steps towards healing. Even better, this period is not even that long. Most of it can take anywhere between 8-10 weeks.
For some, cheating is a way to explore repressed parts of the self. These cheaters don't actually want to change the core of who they are; they just want to escape the constraints of that for a little while. They're not looking for another person; they're looking for hidden versions of themselves. Insecurity.
The most important thing to remember is what cheating says about a person. They're insecure, impulsive, selfish, and immature. Sometimes, it's a chronic problem that likely won't ever be fixed, just be sure not to ignore the warning signs.
Being Cheated On Really Hurts!
When your partner's infidelity is uncovered, you can't help but experience that as a powerful form of emotional and psychological trauma. It feels like you've been hit by a truck – but emotionally rather than physically. You feel battered, bruised, and broken by the betrayal.
It is possible you could be experiencing post infidelity stress disorder (PISD), which is similar to the symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. After all, both conditions will involve trauma and a threat to your emotional security and wellbeing.
Well, betrayal is a drain on self-esteem and when your self-esteem is decimated, then you are going to feel worthless. An affair also rips out the proverbial rug from under your feet and you start to question everything, especially yourself, your sanity, and the decisions you make.
In short, an inappropriate emotional connection or attachment can be just as dangerous to a relationship as a physical affair. Emotional affairs can often be gateway affairs to other types of infidelity and are just as likely to lead to divorce or a breakup as physical affairs.
Infidelity does not mean that the love is gone or never existed. The reality is that you can love someone and still cheat on them. In fact, many affairs happen in relationships that are otherwise very happy.
It may still be possible to rebuild a relationship after infidelity and find love—even if you truly believe that you or your partner never experienced true love in the first place. You could claim that cheating doesn't necessarily mean you never loved someone, although it might mean you don't respect or honor them.
“The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies, it comes from those you trust the most.” - Author unknown. Honestly Sir . Your enemies cannot betray you.