Can a Marriage Survive Cheating?

Can a marriage survive cheating? Absolutely, if both parties are willing. Can YOUR marriage survive cheating? I don't know the answer to that... I know mine did. Cheating can be the ultimate betrayal, dealing with the strong emotions of the pain of a cheating spouse, can be extremely difficult, and actually can destroy a person's mental health. Cheating is never an easy thing to forget, and it's practically impossible to forget, but it is possible to move on, and have a solid relationship after the fact. There are numerous factors that come into play, when trying to save a marriage after one spouse or the other has cheated... there are numerous things to consider when trying to decide to salvage your marriage after your spouse has cheated, as well.

Cheating is the ultimate breaking of trust and the ultimate betrayal. Being the betrayed spouse, is painful, difficult, and it takes a lot of time for the wounds inflicted by cheating to heal... regardless of whether you stay with your spouse or not. I think a one-time incident in which your spouse cheats, is a lot easier to forgive and save a marriage, than it is when the cheating is habitual or happened more than once. Ultimately, the factors come down to, can you BOTH work to save the marriage? Or is it going to be a one-sided effort? Are you able to forgive and *try* to forget? Forgiving cheating and moving on is an extremely difficult process, and it's always a good idea to seek the help of a marriage counselor when you and your spouse are trying to move past the pain of infidelity. Your mind-set and your spouse's make a huge difference. You need to be able to accept what happened, has happened. Don't blame yourself for your spouse's infidelity, accept that THEY made the decision to cheat. If there were problems in your marriage that might have led to your spouse cheating or your spouse was having an extremely trying time, accept this, without accepting the guilt that goes with it, and try to move on.

Don't focus on the cheating, focus on making your marriage better, and seek professional help as an individual if you are having difficulty doing this. Don't throw the cheating in your spouse's face... if they are genuinely trying to work things out, chances are, they feel extremely guilty for the action itself and for the pain they caused already. TRY to trust your partner again... learning to trust someone again, especially after cheating is difficult, but it CAN be done.

Cheating is one of the hardest things to get over in a relationship, and it becomes something between the two of you, whether spoken of, or not. Don't necessarily forgive and then blindly trust again, but DO try to work on communication and honesty. It's okay to let your partner know that their actions have hurt you, and it's okay to set guidelines for re-establishing trust again, but don't dwell on nothing but the cheating. Dwelling on the past and focusing on nothing but the pain, is a sure-fire way to ensure that your marriage WON'T survive cheating.