Emotional Affairs In Marriage: Can A Couple Survive It?
Emotional affairs in marriage are downright disturbing. It accounts for 37% married men, and 20% married women who, at one point in time, have been unfaithful with their spouses. According to the National Research Center, 1 in every two couples cheated.
For instance, technological innovation has fueled emotional affairs in marriage to become rampant. People who engage in casual contact with the opposite sex don't know what they're doing. They don't even recognize that they're at the brink of turning a platonic friendship into an emotional affair. This is happening everywhere particularly in their own workplace and on the Internet.
Platonic love exists but in many ways differs from emotional affairs in the following senses:
Once emotional affairs in marriage are disclosed, expect intense emotions and recurring crisis to happen. Will you be able to survive this kind of crisis all your life? Yes, you can as long as proper treatment and therapy are applied. In fact, some researchers noted that couples who have undergone therapy sessions developed stronger family ties and sensitivity to their partner's needs afterwards.
So, in order to rebuild the relationship, couples will have to go through three stages to solve it.
By understand the very nature of emotional affairs is the key to survive and rebuild the lost relationship and trust. The unfaithful partner is expected to assist his/her spouse, in his/her difficult times. Therefore, it's important to work together in dealing with the emotional affairs in marriage issues.
For instance, technological innovation has fueled emotional affairs in marriage to become rampant. People who engage in casual contact with the opposite sex don't know what they're doing. They don't even recognize that they're at the brink of turning a platonic friendship into an emotional affair. This is happening everywhere particularly in their own workplace and on the Internet.
Platonic love exists but in many ways differs from emotional affairs in the following senses:
- In terms of bonding, emotional affairs show greater intensity than in marital relationship.
- Secrecy and deception are always there.
- Even though emotional affairs don't have sexual contact at first, but it can already affect the sexual life of a couple. Extra marital intercourse will seal the bond making it more difficult to break away.
Once emotional affairs in marriage are disclosed, expect intense emotions and recurring crisis to happen. Will you be able to survive this kind of crisis all your life? Yes, you can as long as proper treatment and therapy are applied. In fact, some researchers noted that couples who have undergone therapy sessions developed stronger family ties and sensitivity to their partner's needs afterwards.
So, in order to rebuild the relationship, couples will have to go through three stages to solve it.
- Identifying and correcting the traumatic symptoms. If the other party is a co-worker, then each and every contact must be strictly for business functions only. Any necessary or unplanned meeting will have to be shared with the partner to strengthen the trust again.
- Telling the story in all honest. It's painful for the other spouse to hear these stories but it's a requisite for a full recovery. Doing so will enhance the healing process rather than resorting to a destructive questioning that does nothing.
- Moving on. Every relationship has its own vulnerabilities and recognizing them allows any couple to address them accordingly. The result is a renewed relationship, commitment, trust, and the will to change.
By understand the very nature of emotional affairs is the key to survive and rebuild the lost relationship and trust. The unfaithful partner is expected to assist his/her spouse, in his/her difficult times. Therefore, it's important to work together in dealing with the emotional affairs in marriage issues.
