- Did you just find out your Spouse/Partner is having an affair?
- Are you shocked and overwhelmed experiencing a range of emotions?
- Feeling angry and scared at the same time?
- Can couples survive an affair?
Infidelity
Finding out your partner is having an affair is probably the most devastating thing that could happen to you. Cheating shatters the core of your existence leaving you with feelings of betrayal, rejection, fear, mistrust, grief and anger. It damages your sense of self and leaves you overwhelmed with what to do next. You’re in allot of pain and confused right now. You don’t have to suffer infidelity alone.
“Sarah Ruggera was able to help my wife and I talk about what happened in our marriage and why I made the mistake of my life by cheating on her. She initially wanted to end the marriage but we decided that if we didn’t seek counseling first we might regret that decision for the rest of our lives. Because Sarah specializes in Affair Recovery she was direct in her approach in getting us to talk about why we let things get to the point where I was unhappy and where she wasn’t able to see what was going on around her. Even though it wasn’t my wife’s fault, Sarah helped us talk about how both of us needed to say what we wanted for a new future together. She gave us helpful tools to learn and use to rebuild trust and I still use them today. I highly recommend Sarah Ruggera as she put our relationship back on track. I truly believe if two people want to save their marriage it can be saved. Thank you again Sarah!”
With the right Therapist couples can find their way to a deeper and more intimate bond after an affair despite the feelings of wanting to leave or fantasizing about a divorce. An affair doesn’t have to end a marriage. It can possibly make it stronger.
Recovering from infidelity involves the willingness of unfaithful spouses to demonstrate sincere regret and remorse.
Affair Recovery includes:
- Teamwork; both spouses must be fully committed to the hard work of getting their marriage back on track.
- The unfaithful partner must be willing to end the affair (sexual or emotional) and do whatever it takes to win back the trust of his or her spouse.
- Honesty (transparency) is the most important factor in rebuilding the marriage. The future possibilities for the marriage are not determined by what happened in the affair; they are determined by what happens after the affair is known.
- The betrayed spouse must be willing to find ways to manage overwhelming emotions so, as a couple, they can begin to sort out why the affair happened, and more importantly, what needs to change so that it never happens again.
- Affairs are less about love and more about boundaries. Affairs can happen in good marriages.
- The major attraction in an affair is NOT the love partner but the positive mirroring of the self –“the way I look when I see myself in the other person’s eyes.”
- The conventional wisdom is that the person having an affair isn’t “getting enough” at home. That may be true, but often the truth is that person isn’t giving enough.
- Most people think that talking about the affair with the spouse will only create more upset. But that is actually the way to rebuild intimacy.
- The single best indicator of whether a relationship can survive infidelity is how much empathy the unfaithful partner shows the betrayed partner for the pain they have caused.
- Gradually rebuild trust – through actions, not promises.
- Allow time to heal – although time alone (without effort) is not enough.
What Couples Are Saying About Sarah’s Work
“Sarah’s ability to identify the problem areas and give us tools to address them is priceless.”
“We love her energy.”
“She keeps us motivated to follow through with the system we’ve put in place to be more communicative.”
“She’s honest and direct, but more importantly, understands there is always two sides to a story.”
“If it weren’t for Sarah, I would not still be married.”
As a Marriage Counselor and Infidelity Specialist I have specific training and experience to help explain the sources of infidelity and offer sound and sensible guidelines for mending your relationship. For those of you who are going through the hurt and betrayal of infidelity I am able to help you cope with the raging emotions, make a thoughtful decision about your future, and if you choose to recommit, reclaim a life together.
The couples I work with either 1) relive their trauma and bitterness over and over again, 2) revert to the status of life before the affair, or 3) have the affair become a transformational experience and catalyst for renewal and change for moving forward. Couples can survive infidelity, provided both partners are willing to look honestly at themselves and at each other and acquire the tools needed to guide them through such a shattering crisis.
If you’re struggling with wondering what to do next and asking yourself the question… “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?,” please call me at (858) 735- 1139. I can help you with options to make the right decision for you and your family.