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Image by Brandon Morgan

Betrayed Partners

Have you experienced intimate partner betrayal, whether due to your spouse's physical affair, emotional affair, online relationships, or hidden pornography use? Are you unsure who to tell, what hope there is for your relationship, and how to move forward?

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You may have lived through months, or years, of lies and gaslighting while your partner hid their infidelity. The shock and heartbreak that accompanies this discovery can rock your foundation, and create a storm of emotions that feels difficult to navigate alone. 

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Professional counseling can be essential in the aftermath of infidelity to help you process the betrayal, heal from the trauma symptoms you may be experiencing, and find your footing again. Support is available and you do not have to do it alone.

Symptoms of Betrayal Trauma

Research validates that betrayal in a committed relationship is a form of intimate partner violence and relational abuse. Survivors' symptoms can be profound and often manifest as complex PTSD.

  • Avoidance of reminders of the betrayal

  • Anger and irritability

  • Changes in sexuality and body image

  • Diminished self-esteem

  • Dissociation (a sense of the world as unreal)

  • Emotional overwhelm

  • Fear

  • Feeling isolated and empty in the relationship

  • Heightened anxiety

  • Hypervigilance

  • Intrusive images and feelings about the betrayal​

  • Isolating from others

  • Lack of motivation

  • Less ability to perform daily tasks at home and work

  • Loss of interest in activities you previously enjoyed

  • Mood swings

  • Nightmares

  • Numbing coping strategies

  • Pre-existing sense of reality feels shattered

  • Ruminating thoughts

  • Shame

  • Traumatic grief

Finding Hope and Healing After Betrayal

You are the sky - everything else, it's just the weather.

- Pema Chödrön

Betrayal is a deeply traumatic experience that wounds the survivor and their relationships, impacting how they move through life and view the world. Counseling for betrayed partners is supportive and validating, helping you reconnect to your intuition, sense of self, needs, and goals. Practicing ways to find relief from distressing physical sensations and intense emotions that go along with betrayal is a primary focus in therapy, as well as processing your experience. There is potential for full healing, and also for personal growth in the process, moving through an experience you never expected or warranted towards a life richer in meaning with renewed hope.

Start Your Healing Journey Today

The first step for prospective new clients is to schedule a free 15-minute consultation; please complete the form below to get in touch.

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