How to Survive Infidelity The discovery of infidelity severely disrupts your life. It is a violation unlike any other. Most experts who deal with infidelity say that the betrayed spouse deals with anywhere from 50 to 100 reminders and triggers per day about their spouse's infidelity. But we have a God who is far bigger than our circumstances. Sections: Must ReadNewsletterFounder's LaptopFree ResourcesHot Off the PressRL_Category: Rebuilding TrustRecovery FundamentalsRelapse PreventionRL_Media Type: TextAA Codes: HurtUnfaithfulSave marriageWhatever it takesJust get over itUncertainFemaleMaleHysterical Hannah / Righteous RickNeedy Nancy / Desperate DannyKnowCybersexAffairsPorn/MasturbationEscorts/Topless clubsFallen in loveAddictionInappropriate relSexualNon-sexualAdventurous Annie / Careless KentRegretful Rita / Miserable MikeNeglected NicoleSmitten Samantha / Lovestruck LarryCompulsive Kate / Slick WillieYes want to know Add New Comment: Comments So Important Submitted by Martin D. (not verified) on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 13:06 This is a great article. I was the betrayer in my marraige and my wife for several years has told me how important these things in the article are to our recovery. I have only recently embraced some of these concepts and am working on them all. I just want to encourage anyone out there that is early in the journey - these tools mentioned in the article are so important to learn. God can heal anything but we must be williing to make the changes and do the work. Thanks for providing this valuable information, I wish I had caught on sooner. reply Thank you!!!! Submitted by Kelly k (not verified) on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 13:37 This came at such a perfect time in our recovery process. Thank you so much for sharing in such a practical, encouraging way! Do you write anywhere else (ie blog)? reply Great advice! Thanks for Submitted by Teresa on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 13:48 Great advice! Thanks for sharing your story. It is so nice to hear that you never gave up. My husband & I are on year 3 and going strong. :) reply How to survive Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 13:52 Unfortunately my husband has not done the steps necessary for us to heal and move past this. reply Neither has mine Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 11:40 My husband does not want to take the blame for anything. How do you move forward either way without closure? It has been over 7 months--about 2 months I ago I discovered he has a borderline personality disorder and his whole way of thinking is distorted. They can change but only if their internal pain outweights the benefits they are receiving. I don't want a divorce but I cannot live with anyone who cannot be honest with me. So very hard. I need prayers. I have been married for 26 years with 3 daughters and 2 of them refuses to have anything to do wth him and I don't talk with him unless absolutely necessary. This is not easy but maybe the only way he will get the message. reply I'd like to know Submitted by cdamouse on Thu, 08/30/2018 - 20:57 I myself have been going through hell for 12 yrs..i just discovered that my husband also has bpd.. he's is textbook.. I'd like to know AR's recommendations for this. I don't want a divorce either... but my husband says it's over... reply So is my UW. Submitted by drbob on Fri, 09/06/2019 - 01:29 It’s been almost two years now and the Married for Life is almost done. It’s been a huge waste of my time and effort. It’s placed everything at risk and I feel like I got nothing left to go on. My advice for who’s spouses have Borderline Personality Disorder is the same that two separate psychiatrists told me two years ago... “Run. It can’t be done.” reply If we collectively did 2 of those suggestions it would be a lotI Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 04:27 It wasn't for lack of wanting to do those things, God Knows I tried to get the counselling for each of us. When the unfaithful refuse ... When they lie to manipulate their own "reality/lies", when they cannot or will not be honest, reconciliation is impossible... a sex addict, like any other addict, will not do any healing work for themselves, let alone a marriage, if they fail to see their addiction. An unfaithful spouse will likely remain unfaithful if they continue to live in fantasy or escape (as in from reality or responsibility). advice to the betrayed: nothing will be right unless or until the unfaithful is willing to do the hard work of dealing with their addiction/shame/guilt, fears,anger, ego, deep wounds behind their issues... reply honesty Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 12:54 My husband also refuses to be honest about his very long affair, he say's the truth doesn't matter because it's in the past and whatever intentions he had he didn't go thru with them ( but not because he didn't want to, the woman was seeing several other men which he found out later and she had no intention of leaving her husband for him or any of the men. ) My husband took what he needed to help himself get over being hurt by the "most wonderful woman he had ever met". He said that doing anything that I need to get over this isn't neccessary and I need to get over myself. reply The steps you list will not Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 08:23 The steps you list will not help in some cases. What about the man who has cheated many times over the time of marriage? reply Husbands Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 06/05/2013 - 10:08 I have a new friend that went through a very similar situation as yours. She is a wonderful person and strong in her faith. Where my spouse had one long affair, her husband had mulitple during the course of her marriage. What hurts worse, mine or hers, honestly, as much as mine hurts, I cannot fathom what she and yourself are going through. I think in this situation, friends and family are so important but most importantly you have to continue to have Hope. Hope that things will get better, Hope that you will find someone new or be happy by yourself. God wants us to live for him and love him unconditionally. His love never fails, it never gives up, it never gives up on me (and you). Good luck, I'll pray for you as well as the other folks on here. reply I just can't seem to move Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 14:13 I just can't seem to move past this. My husband had the affair with a co-worker. They still work together. He took her to our home. I can't go back there. He still works with her but insists nothing is going on. He has made alot of changes but I still can't trust him. She has filed for divorce. She did horrible things to her husband and my husband has agreed to testify against her on her husband's behalf. She told my husband about all the things she did to her husband. Court is coming up and she is denying the affair ever happened. I know my husband told her terrible things about me and I know it will all come out in court. We live in a small town and everyone knows what has happened. My cousin is one of the two superior court judges in our circuit. I feel I have been robbed of my life and my innocence. I feel all alone. I don't trust that he will stay faithful as I found out there was at least one other woman he was involved with via internet (he denied this until I had proof). I feel lost and helpless. Anything he does never seems to be enough. I know I am destroying any chance we have at repairing our marriage. Help!! reply Does time really heal all wounds? Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 16:19 I found out 1.5 years ago and my wife officially ended things with the AP in Oct 2012. Her affair went on for years, though mostly a long distance one, it was a very strong emotionally attached one (they talked marriage even though he was also married). Even though she is trying to get back into our marriage, for some reason I am struggling more than when I first found out. Back in the beginning my goal was to salvage the marriage at any cost. The more information I found out the more I wanted to be a better husband. Something happened to me emotionally a couple of months ago that I cant seem to shake. The emotional flooding is constant, the fear and guilt of what I did to cause her to stray is unbearable. There is more but I wont get into it. I just hope this is just a set back and that things will improve. I want to be like some of the couples I read about here that have made it and are happier than ever. Unfortuantely, I am more depressed than anything. Professional help unfortunately is unafforable so we have to go through this with free resources and each other. reply Me too Submitted by Elizabeth on Thu, 04/01/2021 - 10:51 I SO feel for you: I’m in a “me too” situation - at 3+ years post D-Day, I feel on many days it hurts worse than at the beginning - perhaps we are in shock earlier and the pain gains momentum as time goes by? Triggers are EVERYWHERE- movies, news shows, etc. And just plain emotional flooding. My brain keeps “the movie” of the betrayal and subsequent 32 years of lies and worries running on a 24/7 loop - so the pictures and damaging remembrances can just drop in anytime. How do we turn off the stuck in time feeling? My husband says I’m living in the past - and he’s right, I guess - but how can I not when I found out only 3 years ago that our marriage had been full of deceptions and bad acts? I pray that you find some peace; I’d like to think I can as well, but not sure that’s going to happen. We are now in our 70s, with limited actual time to develop a new “marital history”. I wish you better fortune. reply Are there other husbands who are the betrayed? Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/23/2013 - 15:05 I found out about my wife's affairs less than 4 months ago. She had her first affair within 3 months of saying our vows and a second about a year later. Both AP were individuals she worked with and were both married as well. The pain is still very fresh and I have constant reminders every day. After she took affair analyzers I feel as though our situation is somehow not a normal one (if there is a normal affair). I have not come across any stories that seem to accurately describe our situation. Since the discovery took place, I have read a lot of material on several websites as well as a few books on recovery. I have noticed that it seems like there are less women that are the betrayers than men. Though I can still gain insight from stories where the men are the betrayers, I feel that men and women handle the pain differently and have yet to find someone who understands how I am feeling as a man. I am working my way through getting rid of my stuffing tendencies which have made it more difficult to deal with what I am really feeling. I am a very poor undergrad student, and therefore do not have the extra money to pay for the miscellaneous services provided to connect with others in similar cases. I have tried to confide in friends and family but none of them understand the depth of the pain, confusion, insecurity and depression associated with being betrayed as they have not been in such a situation. I feel I am trying to handle this alone. Though I am a christian, I must admit that I feel as though I am still alone and that God won't give me a break. I feel like I get test after test from God, that I can't catch a break to recover from one thing before something else happens. I am already just holding my neck out of the water, but buckets are being poured over my head continuously. I know all the 'right' answers to the way I feel about God currently, such as He never gives us more than we can handle etc. but it does not stop my mind from feeling that God is not helping me out even when I cry out to Him. reply Relapse Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 01/23/2019 - 11:16 I find great help in dealing with my husbands infidelity by reading your articles. It was only when I reached out to your website that I thought there is hope, we can go through it if we both commit. It has been 3 months since the discovery day. As many - I was raging at the beginning, cried my eyes out daily for 7 weeks. We went for therapy which is helping. I know I want to be with him, and am committed to rebuild our marriage. So is he. There is difference between us as to how we approach the affair issue. Whilst I want to understand and make sense out if it, my husband says he now told me everything and there is nothing more to add, he says he wished he didn’t have to go back to this and would rather focus his thoughts and efforts on making me happy here and now, he says he would rather forget that episode of his life (don’t get me wrong, we spoke a lot about the affair, he sincerely apologised, he told me how ashamed he feels, and I can really see difference in his behaviour and how much effort he makes on a daily basis to make me feel appreciated and special). So I went back to reading your article about surviving affair, and something stroke me today. In point 4 yiu say that we should not rush to healing as it may have devastating effects in the unfaithful spouse relapsing. This concerned me. I feel I don’t want to be the victim of the past, I want to move forward myself, I feel like the grieve period ended for me, I want to be happy and I am happy with him, he makes me feel happy. I sometimes question myself, whether this is normal. I read people’s posts that they are sometimes 6 months, 2,3 or even 5 years adt the D day and still struggle. So I ask myself if I just made it ‘easy’ for my husband, or trying to deceive myself about my self perceived happiness? If my husband says he would rather forget it all now, could it mean he hasn’t fully grieved and healed? And more importantly what do you mean by relapse? That’s he is prone to having an affair again or relapse in his feelings towards me? I would appreciate if you could please expand on your comments in point 4. Kind regards. Kate reply relapse/ triggers Submitted by adryl (not verified) on Tue, 01/24/2023 - 18:27 hey, I just discovered this website and community. first of all, congratulations. Some of the success you outlined has given me hope in my relationship, so thank you. I just wanted to ask what your daily routine with your partner looked like? Did you discuss it with him every time you would get your triggers? Is it advisable to talk about the Betrayed's pain every day? What do I do? reply Thankful Submitted by redrene on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 20:22 So glad I came across this site. I already feel a tremendous amount of support and hope, no matter what the outcome of my marriage. reply Affair proofing Submitted by My shoes (not verified) on Wed, 01/05/2022 - 12:16 I’m really struggling with #2 under Affair Proofing the marriage. In my marriage, behavior has equaled motive. Constantly looking for and finding someone he was tempted by and showing me over and over again that he did not and does not have the self control to not be tempted by or resist the temptation will forever leave me feeling that it’s right around the corner. Like the alcoholic that takes one drink. Dipping his toes in that pond once again will push me over the edge. I’m not willing to let temptations or “behavior” come across to him as ok, or something I will ever again accept. I’ve never been tempted, I’ve honored my vows and I deserve to be put in front of the line, not 2nd or 3rd place. After 38 years of the other women capturing all his attention, energy and “behavior” I feel like if he loves me and wants to show me he’s changed like he says he does it should be my turn now. reply Emotional affair Submitted by kathy bailey (not verified) on Thu, 01/06/2022 - 03:26 One day my spouse is kind then next day yelling, swearing acting like he could careless. He had an emotional affair that lasted 5 years. I discovered on June 12 th. On the day we were burying my brother. reply Very Touching Submitted by Chika Mogbo on Wed, 10/05/2022 - 16:45 Every word on this article was water to my soul. Thank you reply I find no comfort in knowing Submitted by Seenthelight (not verified) on Wed, 03/06/2024 - 14:27 I find no comfort in knowing there are so many cheaters every where. It emphasizes just how low the human race has sunk. So many with such lack of self control and morals. No integrity (doing what’s right regardless of who is watching). No concern for a spouse or significant other they have/are cheating on rather than at least being honest with them, yet stay with the betrayed making their life a lie too. I know I would have appreciated the truth at the very least. Leaving my ex was the best thing I have ever done since knowing him. reply Struggling to recover from infidelity two years back Submitted by Patience on Thu, 03/07/2024 - 01:44 My husband does not want to admit and ask for forgiveness, he still maintains he has never had the affair even though there is proof of a recording. Someone I know volunteered to find out for me from the woman my husband had an affair with. The woman revealed everything about the affair to this person not seeing that the person was recording her. My husband still denies everything the woman said, I asked him how does she know all the things she's speaking about if he did not tell her. When his brother's son passed on, he called her and told her the machines have been removed where as I did not know as I heard from our daughter who was informed by her aunt. He lied about me to this woman that he found me with a man in our house drinking coffee and he just looked and went home. He is staying at his late mom's house since 2009, he came back to our house but then things didn't go well as our daughters were not obedient to him and that was the time he went back. We still married but living separately, he comes to visit and then I will go there during weekends. He lives with our last born daughter who is 21 years and so rude to me. Our daughter stayed with him when she was finishing school in 2019. The following year she went to varsity but she never completed her degree as she dropped out. Whenever we are intimate with the father she would come to knock and ask for something in the father's room. I really don't know what to do, as he can't discipline our daughter. Please help me with why he is denying the affair and is he still seeing this woman as she stays a street behind him and I stay far away. Thank you Patience reply