How To Know If Your Relationship Can Go Back To Normal After Cheating
It's possible, but there are some things you need to know.
shutterstock Did you know that 99 percent of men cheat in America — and the other 1 percent cheat overseas? That is a joke, of course, which highly overestimates the percentage of men that cheat.
When it comes to infidelity statistics, "It is estimated that roughly 30 percent to 60 percent of all married individuals (in the United States) will engage in infidelity at some point during their marriage... Men are more likely than women to cheat. But, as women become more financially independent, women are starting to act more like men with respect to infidelity."
Why do people cheat and how long does it take to get over infidelity?
We have probably all heard the statement that men tend to cheat just for sex and women cheat for emotional connection. But both men and women cheat for similar reasons.
Many men, and now almost as many women, spend more hours at work than at home. During those work hours, they may share thoughts and feelings and emotions with someone who gradually becomes more and more sexually intriguing and desirable.
Another possibility is that many people marry for comfort or a sense of security with a steady partner, and once they feel secure, they can more freely connect with someone who really matches their needs and desires.
But there are many other reasons for cheating and they may have very little to do with the attitudes, appearance, or behaviors of the partner or spouse:
- They seem to have gotten it all (successful career, financial abundance, suitable mate) too easily and too early to develop an authentic appreciation.
- They got pressured into a long-term committed relationship before they were really ready to love and to serve a partner for life.
- They are disillusioned with life, their career path, or qualities in their own self that they project outward onto their partner.
- They have experienced a death or loss that they have not been able to reconcile or come to terms with.
- They are seeking a quick fix, a momentary high, or an escape from facing problems.
- They were never really in love with their partner and stayed for different reasons.
- They no longer like or respect their partner, or their needs have changed over time but they are afraid to let go.
- They were brought up in a culture or a family that encourages or condones infidelity.
Can a relationship go back to normal after cheating?
One of you cheated and the other person knows. What do you do now?
Instead of running to a new and different person to assuage your insecurities and fears, take the higher road. Involve your intimate partner. Seek counseling together. Attempt to bridge the gaps that have developed.
Face your feelings and your fears and share that with your partner. Sometimes, in fact, it's that emotional closeness that has been cut off making one or both of you vulnerable to outside attention.
How can counseling alleviate the pain of both partners when the lying, cheating, and betrayal has been revealed? Isn't the damage already done and the best solution is to dissolve this relationship? Is this why some couples can recover after cheating and others can't?
Yes, sometimes the best immediate solution is to end the relationship. But it's important to understand why you're choosing finality.
If your goal is to "get even" with your partner, that may feel good for only a brief period of time. However, it does not erase the trauma, rejection, and loss of self-esteem, or the sense that you have lost your dream of this wonderful relationship lasting a lifetime.
What choice to make depends on many factors when couples are figuring out how to repair a relationship after cheating.
What do you believe is the basic character style of your partner, and what do you believe are the real reasons for the infidelity?
Sometimes the betrayed partner has been neglecting the relationship and the cheating person's needs for a long time. Some couples remain together even though both are really unhappy and it takes one person to do something different to cause the breakup.
The partner who has lied and cheated may be surprised to feel emotional turmoil if the betrayed partner decides to leave. The cheater may actually feel love for the partner he or she has hurt. The reasons for cheating may not be due to lack of love or lack of sexual desire for the partner.
This is where the problem becomes complex and one simple answer does not work for every couple and every situation. I do believe "When there is love, there is a way," even after infidelity and betrayal.
Counseling can either help to salvage a fractured relationship, or they can help each person to finally understand their own thoughts and feelings, and one or both may discover that this relationship no longer serves them the way it once did.
Each person can start to understand the interpersonal dynamics that led up to this point and may more easily forgive themselves and the other person. Although the counseling process can be temporarily painful, the only way out is through.
What percentage of couples stay together after one cheats?
While cheating is one of the top reasons couples get divorced, there have been numerous studies published on the topic.
A 2008 Gallup poll found that more than 50 percent of partners in a marriage say they wouldn't return to their marriage and would get a divorce in the event of an affair.
Another 2014 study from the American Psychological Association found that 20 to 40 percent of divorces were due to cheating, but it also determined that about 31 percent of partners wouldn't divorce.
When deciding whether or not to save the marriage, counseling and psychotherapy are not instant gratification solutions. They provide a safe and private place to explore what is going on in your life and your relationship in light of your personality, family history, and personal dreams and goals.
Before you destroy the possibility of recreating and reviving a previously painful relationship, consider seeking counseling. You may be able to salvage something worth having and recreate your relationship to become the way you always dreamed it would be.
Erica Goodstone is a licensed therapist and board certified coach. Visit her website, Healing Recovery Retreat, for more information.