After the Affair: Healing the Marriage

What do couples do to heal the marriage after the affair? One of my readers wrote what worked best for them:

First “I” sat myself down and asked myself if saving my marriage was what I really wanted or was the pain of the affair blocking my judgment. Second; We, my husband and I took a long drive to a park over looking a river. There we calmly listened to each other; step by step he reveled what happened and from there we began to heal. Third; it is now almost four years later, we are enjoying a new kind of life with each other, bought a boat we always wanted and a new home. We kept family and friends out of our process of healing; to much advice is not a good thing. This was the hardest thing I had ever done, still at times I feel like walking away yet I know it is only my ego that is hurt, he after all stayed with me not her. I had not begged or demanded for his return, I just kept talking to myself; who knows me better than ME?. After A four year affair, things have turned out to be a strange blessing, my husband and I have never been so interested in what the other is doing, it is pretty nice knowing he finally wants to know about my day. One last thing; DO NOT bring up the affair after you have had that long talk at your favorite place, get out all the questions you feel you need to know at that time and let the rest go……….if you don’t you wont be able to end the affair for either of you!

Healing the Marriage After Infidelity

What does it take to heal a marriage after infidelity? Usually it’s more than healing – it’s a matter of redesigning a relationship.

Here are what some couples do and find helpful in healing the wound:

Do things to make you feel good about yourself, whether it be associating with positive people who make you feel good about yourself, keeping yourself fit, picking flowers , appreciating the sunrise and sunsets… Having a wonderful little grandson who brings such joy to us as a couple and makes you realize that there is a lot to be said for continuance and history and moving on. Naturally the departure of the OP is a big help, particularly if the relationship ends on a sour note! My husband is not a talker and would run a million miles if I tried to but we have nice meals together in front of the fire with our old dog and nice wine and hold hands and I am in 7th heaven. Don’t have expectations that are too big and accept them for the person they are.

1. It is important to become a person with other interests, therefore attending outside activities. 2. You need to accept that it takes time to heal. 3. Keep busy and do not “visit” the place in your mind constantly.

Wrote letters to each other

Talk to a caring family member. apologizing to each other for what causes the cheating. Go out, talk about the days when we were courting and why we still love each other.

Practical Tips on Healing the Marriage after Infidelity

Healing the marriage after infidelity is a daunting task.

Read these practical tips on how to heal the marriage after the affair:

1. List 2-3 things you did to help you as a couple heal the wound.

Wound STILL healing but holiday away together helped us. Text messaging each other just once a day with ‘how’s your day going’ type comment makes me feel like he cares again. Breaking out of our routine and being spontaneous – just going out for a weekday meal instead of arguing over who was going to cook it (and leaving food in fridge, chores etc when HE suggests it)

1. Talking about the affair. 2. Finding time to be together 3. Read your book and Dr Gunsburg’s books and articles.

Initially split and took time living apart to understand each other, “dated” during this period so we were not allowed to be judgmental. This helped us both regain our self confidence, and see what it was in each other that initially attracted us. When we got back together we allocated specific times when we could ask each other questions, sometimes hurtful, but we had to promise to listen and not be reactionary or judging.

1. Told my husband that our marriage was over, and that what we were working on is a new relationship. With all the expectations of any new relationship, and we have both put together a list of non-negotiable rules for the new relationship. 2. We each have a notebook in our bedside tables to list good/bad issues in, and we discuss them each Tuesday night, when we have a two hour break from children in the house. 3. I have learned to “bite my tongue” rather than become angry when he says he doesn’t know why he had an affair, that he has always loved me (!) and is sooooo sorry for what he did. It is just not helpful to tell him that if he loved me he would not ever have hurt me the way he has. I am learning accept that he doesn’t really know what he got out of the affair. 4. We accept that our marriage became bogged down in achieving material wealth (both of us), me helping our son who has a learning difficulty, running our business etc. Our relationship lost its romance and intimacy – and was not ever based on trust. I accept that no marriage will ever be truly happy under those circumstances.