![[]](modules/ecommerce/cart/images/cart_empty.png){kind=spacer}
Infidelity
Infidelity in a committed relationship may be the beginning of the end for that relationship, or it may be the starting point for a new style of relationship to be agreed. In almost all cases it is a major event, and both partners in the relationship are affected by it.
The person who has been unfaithful may have feelings of guilt at the deception, anxiety about being found out, and concerns about the possible reactions of other people to what has been going on. The person who has been deceived is likely to feel betrayed, to lose trust in their partner, to feel hurt and angry, to fear for the future, and to imagine themselves to be unattractive to their partner, and therefore possibly to anyone else.
Discovery usually causes an emotional crisis, and therapy at this point can be a helpful way of managing that, expressing the feelings, and working out a way forward for the relationship, whether separation or reconciliation.
The underlying reasons for infidelity need to be explored and understood.
- Sometimes the unfaithful partner has difficulties with commitment, or feels suffocated by too much intimacy, or feels unloved or unwantd in the relationship.
- It can be that the unfaithful partner has psychological reasons for their behaviour, relating to past sexual abuse, previous infidelity from an earlier relationship, or a deep sense of unworthiness.
- The relationship itself may be over, and the unfaithfulness is a way of showing that.
- The unfaithful partner has an addiction.
In some relationships, however, infidelity is not a problem for the couple. Both partners agree the rules and know the what is expected of them, what behaviours are accepted, and what the other person wants from the relationship. As long as both partners keep to their agreement, it can work well and be enriching in a number of ways.
| Advice for Arguments in Marriage | Relationships | Sex Addiction |
