Healing the Wounds of Betrayal  

Infidelity, deception, broken promises. Being human means having to face the pain of betrayal at some point during our lives. As I explore in my book Love & Betrayal, the important question is how do we deal with it? How can we face this most difficult aspect of the human condition without succumbing to cynicism or despair? Whether a betrayal happened recently or years ago, we need to find our way toward healing. Here are some tips for moving forward in our lives after a life-changing betrayal. Move On from Blaming and Judging It’s natural to blame and judge someone for have treated us in a way that is disrespectful and harmful to our heart. Blaming others is one way to avoid blaming ourselves when a relationship goes awry. But blaming ourselves or others has a limited shelf-life. It can keep us spinning our wheels in our minds rather than healing and moving forward. Some betrayals, such as an infidelity, come out of the blue. We thought the relationship was going well, but our partner was dissatisfied or not as committed as we assumed. Our sense of reality can be brutally undermined when we discover that our partner has strayed into the arms of another.  In other instances, we may have contributed to a climate ripe for betrayal. Perhaps we didn’t listen well when our partner expressed hurts, fears, or discontents. We might have minimized our partner’s feelings when they tried to tell us they were not feeling heard or appreciated. Perhaps it was too upsetting to h...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Grief and Loss Marriage and Divorce Psychology Relationships Self-Help Blame Cheating Infidelity Source Type: blogs