Counseling for Betrayal Trauma
If you have experienced any form of betrayal from your spouse or partner, discovering your loved one’s out of control behavior can feel devastating. Discovering your significant other has a secret sexual life is a traumatic event. As a result, many betrayed partners and spouses deal with traumatic stress symptoms such as physical pain, increased anxiety, insomnia, depression, negative self-image, overeating or lack of appetite, substance abuse, and sexual withdrawal. If you can relate to any of this, you are not alone and there is help on the other side of sexual betrayal.
While many people can recover from trauma over time with the love and support of family and friends and bounce back with resiliency, others may discover effects of lasting trauma, which can cause a person to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or posttraumatic stress far after the event has passed.
In these circumstances, the support, guidance, and assistance of a therapist is fundamental to healing from trauma.
Trauma Symptoms
According to the four types of symptoms listed in the DSM-5
Avoidance Symptoms
- Avoiding specific locations, sights, situations, and sounds that serve as reminders of the event
- Anxiety, depression, numbness, or guilt
Re-experiencing Symptoms
- Intrusive thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks
Hyperarousal Symptoms
- Anger, irritability, and hypervigilance
- Aggressive, reckless behavior, including self-harm
- Sleep disturbances
Negative Mood and Cognition Symptoms
- Loss of interest in activities that were once considered enjoyable
- Difficulty remembering details of the distressing event
- Change in habits or behavior since the trauma
Research shows that psychotherapy, most commonly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is the most effective form of treatment for trauma. If you or someone you know can relate to the trauma symptoms listed above, I invite you to contact me today for a free consultation.
