03 Mar How to Forgive After Infidelity
And Why Traditional Therapy May Not Be Enough to Heal Your Marriage
Infidelity can be one of the most painful and challenging experiences a person can go through in a marriage. The betrayal of trust and the emotional trauma that comes with it can leave you feeling lost and unsure of how to move forward.
Despite years of therapy and other efforts to rebuild the marriage, forgiveness may still feel out of reach. This is because traditional therapy often doesn’t provide the skills needed to build a future and doesn’t address the emotional trauma caused by infidelity.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the challenges of forgiving a spouse after infidelity and the importance of addressing emotional trauma to rebuild trust and create a thriving marriage. We’ll also introduce you to a powerful community that can help you find the support you need to heal and rebuild your marriage.
The Emotional Toll of Infidelity on the Betrayed Partner
To understand the challenges of forgiving a spouse after infidelity, let’s look at the story of one of my clients, Joyce.
Joyce and her husband had been working on reconnecting in their marriage since 1998, after her husband had been unfaithful. Despite years of couples and individual therapy, attending couples intensive retreats, and even her husband passing polygraph tests, Joyce still never felt like she truly could forgive and trust her husband.
Instead of growing towards him, she became more distant from him, with her kids, and eventually, her grandkids. She had arrived at a place in her marriage (and her life), where she had simply zoned out. It was only when Joyce started working with me inside my Beyond Breath community that she was able to truly forgive her husband and rebuild the trust that had been lost, which allowed them to both recreate a marriage that’s thriving.
Joyce’s story highlights the limitations of traditional therapy in addressing emotional trauma and rebuilding trust after infidelity.
Three Strategies for Rebuilding Trust After Infidelity
So, how can you overcome emotional trauma and rebuild trust in your marriage after infidelity? Here are three powerful reframes that can help you on your journey:
- Stop suppressing your feelings: Even if your spouse is pressuring you to “get over it,” the emotional trauma caused by infidelity can’t be overcome by pretending it’s not there. Instead, you need to follow an actual process to clear the trauma from your body so that you’re able to actually forgive and not just suppress your feelings.
- Stop waiting for your husband to prove he’s working on your marriage before you join in: Relying solely on your spouse to rebuild trust is outside of your control. Even if they do everything right, you may still struggle with trust issues. Instead, work on healing yourself and clearing the emotional trauma, regardless of what your spouse is or isn’t doing. When you’re able to see their actions and trust your intuition without the foggy lens of emotional trauma, you’ll be better able to build a thriving marriage.
- Find a supportive community of women who have also experienced infidelity : Having a support system is important, but it’s crucial to find a community of people who have been in your shoes and can help you build a healing bridge to the marriage you really want. This is what we’ve done inside the Beyond Breath community, and it’s been amazing to see the bonds that have grown among the women.
These three powerful reframes can help you address emotional trauma and rebuild trust in your marriage after infidelity.
Healing Yourself is the Key to Healing Your Marriage
If you’re struggling to heal and rebuild your marriage after infidelity, you don’t have to go through it alone. That’s why I created the Beyond Breath community. It’s a safe, supportive space where women who have experienced infidelity can come together, share their stories, and help each other heal.
Inside the community, you’ll find women who understand what you’re going through and can offer support, guidance, and a listening ear. You’ll also have access to resources, tools, and strategies that can help you overcome emotional trauma, rebuild trust, and create a thriving marriage.
One of the unique aspects of the Beyond Breath community is that it’s focused on healing yourself first, rather than relying solely on your spouse to make things right. By focusing on your own healing, you’ll be better able to see your spouse’s actions clearly and make decisions that are in your best interest.
If you’re ready to get rid of the emotional trauma that’s been slowing you down and want a step-by-step blueprint for healing your marriage in the next 60 days, click here for my free masterclass where I show you all the next steps. And if you’re looking for a supportive community to help you on your journey, we welcome you with open arms. Join us today and start building the healing bridge to the marriage you deserve.
