Understanding The Types Of Infidelity And How Counseling Can Help
Infidelity is not always about having a sexual affair with another person but can involve several other factors. However, all forms of infidelity are destructive to a healthy relationship but that does not mean the relationship has to end. Counseling can help you understand infidelity and can help you determine if your relationship is worth saving.
An object affair
Affairs do not always involve another person but rather an object. An object affair takes place when a partner gets so obsessed with something that it consumes most of their time and their partner feels neglected and left out. Some examples of an object affair are substance abuse, social media addiction, or being consumed by a hobby or sports.
Emotional affair
Emotional affairs typically start when a married spouse or person in a committed relationship grows close to another person at work or in their circle of friends. They may talk on the phone or text each other constantly and confide in each other rather than depending on their spouses or partners to meet their emotional needs. Emotional affairs may not be seen as actual affairs since they do not involve having sex, but they are often the most destructive because of the level of emotional intimacy involved.
Sexual affairs
It is not uncommon for sexual affairs to consist of only a one-night stand or a few brief sexual encounters. Sexual affairs do not usually involve an emotional attachment, which can make it easier to move on afterward. However, it is important to seek counseling to determine why the infidelity occurred and how to prevent it from happening again.
Cyber affair
Cyber affairs are common and may be viewed as innocent but that is not true. Cyber affairs may consist of sexual messaging, sharing nude photos online, or viewing pornography, which often leads to addictive behavior. Many cyber affairs never move beyond online encounters but can be very destructive to a relationship.
Why counseling matters
Moving beyond infidelity is never easy and takes commitment from both partners. A counselor can act as a mediator between partners to help them communicate their needs and expectations. Counseling can help you implement ways to affair-proof your relationship and learn to heal from the hurts of betrayal.
It can be hard to move forward when a relationship is marred by infidelity, but it is possible. Seeking counseling after infidelity occurs is essential for helping you restore trust and rebuild the relationship. Counseling can help you understand why it happened and can help you decide if you want to work on restoring the relationship.
For more information about infidelity counseling, contact a local professional.