It's overwhelming. More than you ever imagined.
If your partner had the affair, you're hurt and angry. You ask yourself
whether you were foolish to think you were special to him or her. You might wonder whether your whole life has
been a lie. What does your partner's lover have that you lack? Can you ever trust your partner again out of your
sight? Will you ever recover from this cataclysmic discovery?
If you had the affair, you may be ready to return to the marriage...or unsure about
that. If there are children involved, you worry about the effect on them should you decide to break up your household.
Maybe the affair meant very little to you beyond the sex. Or maybe it was a romantic experience that opened you up in
a new way that you're reluctant to give up. You regret having hurt your partner, and yet you're not sure about the next
step.
At the moment, you probably find it hard to imagine how this marriage
can heal, or how to move forward. But in relationship therapy you will have the opportunity to share your feelings in a safe, structured setting. With the counselor's guidance, the two of you can take careful, deliberate steps
toward making the decision as to whether you want to commit to saving the marriage.
If you do, the relationship therapist
offers you the tools to help rebuild trust. By learning how to improve communication,
build teamwork, and open up to intimacy again, you can rediscover the closeness and joy you once shared. Your relationship
won't be exactly the same, but it can be stronger, richer, and more mature than ever before…and mutually fulfilling
for the rest of your lives.
