You Struggle With Trust Issues
If you have trust issues, it only makes sense you'd assume your partner is lying, cheating, and going behind your back. You inherently don't trust others, Golicic says, possibly based on past experiences, like being cheated on by an ex, or even betrayed by parents and friends.
Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety have been linked to infidelity. A person may also experience relationship anxiety, which often results in a person feeling more insecure about themselves. It can also induce doubt towards one's partner, and excessive worry that one will be cheated on again.
Overcoming the pain and heartache from your partner's betrayal can be complicated. Recovering from betrayal trauma is not something you can rush through in a day or two. It takes between eighteen months to three years for most people to fully recover.
One of the most effective ways to treat a persistent fear of cheating is by doing exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. NOCD has over 300 therapists who specialize in treating OCD, and we'll work to match you with someone skilled and experienced in treating Relationship OCD.
Then you might be suffering from proditiophobia, the fear of being betrayed by someone you love.
Innocent people can react to false accusations of cheating can in a variety of ways. Common reactions include surprise and disbelief, denial of the accusation, anger and frustration, a desire to prove their innocence, and a willingness to cooperate with any efforts to investigate the situation.
Research shows that betrayed partners, after learning that their significant other has strayed, typically experience stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms characteristic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Being betrayed by a loved one can often be traumatic. Traumatic experiences can be followed by intrusive thoughts about the event such as images, thoughts and memories. Sometimes even images from the imagination can become intrusive.
Perhaps after a blurry night out, or after one too many shared looks between you and your barista... Most of the time, you'll be able to reassure yourself or talk it through with your partner. But for some people, these thoughts can take over, in a phenomenon that's been dubbed 'cheating OCD'.
For instance, it's common to feel disappointed or betrayed after infidelity, so take a moment to recognize these feelings are normal. "In general, getting over infidelity follows the usual stages of grief: shock/denial; anger/defiance; bargaining; depression, remorse; and acceptance," explains Weiss.
MD. 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.
Cheating husbands may be defensive over the smallest things. They may seem unusually sensitive or touchy about things that seem harmless to you. If you ask an innocent question about what they had for lunch, they may snap at you and accuse you of being controlling or demanding.
The majority of experts will agree on the possibility of recovery after infidelity. However, they also consider that the journey to recovery and rebuilding trust requires hard work for both partners. If parties are willing to take the road of recovery, then leaving the marriage should never be a choice.
Infidelity is the betrayal our society focuses on, but it is actually the subtle, unnoticed betrayals that truly ruin relationships. When partners do not choose each other day after day, trust and commitment erode away.
By working through the 3 stages of affair recovery—atonement, attunement, and attachment, couples can find healing from infidelity. If you're in a marriage where there's been infidelity, marriage counseling is going to be an important part of your healing process.
When you discover the sexual betrayal of your spouse, it plunges you into pain, loss, and grief. Some women express that it shakes the very foundation of trust for everyone and everything. In 1969, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified five stages of grief that include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
A woman feels abandoned
This is where most of the fear of being cheated on comes from. The woman feels that once replaced by someone else, she is no longer needed, wanted, and will eventually be discarded. It hurts her pride as a woman and worth as a person. She would feel that all her love and efforts are in vain.