Why General Petraeus Cheated

By Teresa Maples. Posted on Nov 14th 2012.

What motivates infidelity and how cheaters expect to get away with it.

4. Is there hope for marriages after an affair is discovered? Some people choose to leave a marriage after an affair has occurred. There are many good reasons for this choice, but the betrayal remains and has to be worked through for your own mental health. If you want to deal with and work through the betrayal feelings you will improve your emotional health and will be less likely to meet another person who betrays you.

Many couples have survived an affair or sexual addiction. It requires an investment in time and making the relationship more important than anything else. Couples need to seek the help from a knowledgeable therapist who specializes in affairs and/or sex addiction. The therapist can help the couple learn about themselves and how to make their relationship mutually satisfying.

More from YourTango: Surviving Mother's Day When You've Lost Your Mom

There is hope if there is a desire by both people in the relationship. Couples who work through an affair and build trust with one another often develop a deeper sense of care and trust for one another.

More from YourTango: What Dove Teaches Us About Self-Image & Intimacy

If you have experienced being cheated on or have cheated, by all means get help from a trusted therapist. If you would like more information to make your Couple-ship Thrive please sign up for my newsletter. You may also connect with me on my website Teresa Maples LMHC, CSAT and on twitter.

Get more expert advice!

Article contributed by

View profile

Advanced Member

Teresa Maples

Counselor/Therapist

Teresa Maples MS, LMHC, CSAT, CMAT

My passion is to encourage, nurture,and validate people, deepening their most important relationships to Live Life Abundantly!

If you would like to stay current with the latest and greatest relational research and thoughts, sign up for my newsletter. You may also subscribe to my Couples Thrive Blog, and visit my web site Woodland Pathways Counseling

Location: Gig Harbor, WA

Credentials: CMAT, CSAT, LMHC

Specialties: Couples/Marital Issues, Infidelity / Affair Recovery, Sex Addiction

Website: http://www.woodlandpathways.com

6 Ways Sex Makes You More Attractive

By Teresa Maples

Our culture promotes sex everywhere from magazine covers to product advertisements. When sex sells, it sets us up to objectify ourselves and others. When we objectify someone, we really don't see the other person. We lose out on the most intimate loving parts of a relationship and we look to magazines, books and blogs to help us get the relationship ... Read more

Surviving Mother's Day When You've Lost Your Mom

By Teresa Maples

Mother's Day is a time to honor and cherish mothers. Whether your relationship with yours is nurturing or strained, all mothers have one thing in common: they love their children. But, what if your mom is no longer around? Maybe she has passed on or refuses to talk with you as an adult. Either way, you're feeling sad and lonely without her. Here are a ... Read more

What Dove Teaches Us About Self-Image & Intimacy

By Teresa Maples

Have you seen Dove's campaign video? It's gone viral. After being released earlier this week, it's racked up more than 7 million views. The ad itself is a social experiment in which women describe themselves to a forensic sketch artist. Then, a group of strangers describe the same women to the artist for him to draw another portrait. When ... Read more