Can You Heal After Infidelity? Yes. Here’s How.

# Healing from Infidelity: A Path to Rebuilding Trust and Connection

By Dr. Yaacov Rosedale, PhD, LPC, CASAP

So, the question you’re probably asking now is… Can we come back from this? The short answer? Yes—but not without effort, honesty, and time.

Understanding Infidelity as Relational Trauma

Infidelity is a relational trauma. Healing from it isn’t like flipping a switch or “just forgiving and forgetting.” It requires rebuilding something that was shattered: safety, trust, emotional connection, and even your sense of self.

Some couples do choose to part ways, and that decision is valid. But many couples choose to fight for their relationship—not just to survive, but to grow stronger than before. How? Therapy. Not just any therapy, but structured, intentional, guided work with someone who knows how to navigate betrayal trauma, attachment injuries, and sexual health dynamics.

The Healing Process in Therapy

Here’s what healing might look like in therapy:

🔹 1. Creating Safety First

The betrayed partner needs to feel physically and emotionally safe before any real work can begin. This might include setting boundaries, getting temporary space, or even building routines that reduce triggers.

🔹 2. Full Disclosure (When Appropriate)

This isn’t about interrogations—it’s about clarity. In a safe, therapeutic space, structured disclosure allows the hurt partner to understand what happened and begin to reorient to reality. No more secrets. No more trickle-truth.

🔹 3. Processing the Pain

Both partners need space to grieve, feel, and express without judgment. For the betrayed partner: anger, sadness, confusion, rage. For the one who betrayed: shame, guilt, fear, and often… relief at finally being honest.

🔹 4. Rebuilding Trust

This is the long game. Trust is rebuilt through consistent behavior over time. That means transparency, empathy, taking accountability, and showing up even when it’s uncomfortable.

🔹 5. Restoring Emotional and Physical Intimacy

Yes, sex comes back into the picture—but not as a “goal.” Instead, intimacy (emotional and physical) is carefully re-introduced with new understanding, connection, and respect for boundaries.

🔹 6. Working with a Therapist Who Gets It

Infidelity therapy is not about blame or punishment—it’s about navigating trauma, rebuilding identity, and finding a path forward that aligns with your values. And I get it. I bring both personal understanding and professional expertise into every session. I use a biopsychosocial-spiritual lens to address the whole person, the whole relationship, and the whole healing process.

The Importance of Commitment to Healing

If you’re struggling with addiction, marital discord, or the deep wounds they leave behind, you don’t have to face it alone. In my work, I combine evidence-based approaches like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to build emotional regulation, Motivational Interviewing (MI) to strengthen commitment to change, and EMDR to process the traumas that often fuel addictive patterns and relationship pain. Together, we’ll work to break destructive cycles, heal emotional injuries, and rebuild the trust, stability, and connection you deserve.

You’re not alone. There is a way forward. Healing is possible.

In the next post, we’ll look at the role of shame, defensiveness, and repair in couples healing from betrayal.

Make an Appointment Now

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If this resonates with you or someone you love, reach out. I’m here to help.—Dr. Yaacov Rosedale, LPC, PhD, CASAP yaacovmr@gmail.com📱 WhatsApp | +972-528084406 513-599-6700