Infidelity Counselling Plymouth
Infidelity Counselling Plymouth – Relationships are built upon a mutual trust of and respect for one another. When half of the pair is unfaithful to the other, a breakdown of that trust and respect occurs. Sometimes it signifies the end of the relationship, as the affected party is unable to move past the infidelity, while other couples wish to move forward and work through the rift that has widened before them. Whether or not your relationship is still intact following infidelity, be it an isolated instance or an ongoing problem, the breach can have profound and lasting impacts on both parties.
Because concrete definitions of infidelity and cheating vary depending on the individual circumstances, it is important to discuss expectations with your partner before entering into a serious romantic relationship. Once these boundaries that have been set are crossed, cheating has occurred. Some consider emotional infidelity or viewing pornography to be inappropriate and inexcusable, while others do not, considering physical infidelity alone to be cheating. However, no matter where you choose to set your boundary, once infidelity has occurred it can have profound and damaging effects on the relationship and the affected individual.
Unique situations entered into by unique individuals mean that couples or individual counselling following the incident(s) will be similarly unique. At Horizon Plymouth, we understand the delicacy, despair, and emotional involvement of such situations and strive to help facilitate recovery and reinstate a sense of normalcy, depending on the wishes of those involved.
Why would someone be unfaithful?
Once someone has discovered that their partner is cheating, often the first question that they ask themselves is “why me?” or “what did I do to cause them to cheat?” However, it is important to remember that unfaithful acts are entirely voluntary with regards to the other person’s behavior. For whatever reason, they chose to look for fulfillment outside of the relationship. In fact, many people cheat for reasons that are entirely unrelated to the other individual. Some may feel deeply unhappy with themselves and find that the attention paid upon them by another person makes them feel more confident. Others like the thrill of knowing that they are doing something secret and wrong. Still others might cheat because of an inability to be emotionally intimate, an avoidance of personal issues, or a sex addiction. If a couple decides to move forward to repair their relationship following infidelity, it is important to work with a counsellor to get to the root of what caused the issues initially.
How can infidelity affect the other individual?
Undoubtedly the person who is most affected by infidelity is the other individual in the relationship. Discovering that the person whom you trust and are vulnerable with has turned outside the relationship often deeply affects the mental state of this individual. Many people blame themselves or feel ashamed, thinking that they must have done something to fail to satisfy their partner. They also might feel angry, depressed, anxious, unconfident, or turn to potentially dangerous risk-taking behaviors as a form of coping.
How can counselling help?
Working one-on-one with a counsellor can help you come to terms with what has happened to you and to begin to move forward in a healthy manner. A qualified and experienced Horizon therapist will be able to work with you individually as you process your emotions, as well as help to navigate healing within the relationship as a couple, if that is what you choose to do. Even the partner who was unfaithful can benefit from professional counselling in order to explore the circumstances that led to the affair and process the emotions that might have led them to make such choices. If you or your partner are struggling with infidelity within the relationship, reach out to Horizon Plymouth today to schedule an initial consultation.