Can We Survive Infidelity?

Infidelity is one of the hottest of hot-button issues in relationships, and a never-ending source of judgment, recrimination, and pain.

But where all that misses the mark is in that infidelity isn’tjust about sex, and there’s never just one side to the story. Andsurprisingly, some relationships do survive one or the other “cheating” on them. While that’s not always possible—unmet emotional and other needs can make ending the relationship the healthiest outcome for both partners—with some work, there can be healing and reconnection.

“Some” work? No: a lot of work! It’s not enough toapologize and move on: partners have to work through the truth of what happened (truth, as opposed to painful details), and must be equally committed to the process.

Perhaps unexpectedly, the new relationship forged through this process may look completely different from the original one: it’s a transformation brought about what the partners went through and what they’re willing to commit to in the future.