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It is all too common for people to deeply condemn the person who had the affair.

As agonizing as it feels, it's important for the betrayed party to acknowledge the pain of their partner.

Affairs hurt everyone involved—and all parties need space to heal.

This post is part two of a two-part series on "After the Affair."

“Can I ever forgive or trust my partner after an affair?”

“Can I ever forgive or trust my partner after an affair?”

As you read in part one of this blog series, there are two people who are devastated after an affair. It is common for the sympathies of friends, family, and even trained psychotherapists to "side" with the betrayed partner. However, the pain of the person who engaged in an emotional or sexual affair is often overlooked. I've worked with many couples in my Become Passion online program who are struggling to recover from trust betrayal—and I point out gently that there are two people in pain, and they both have needs during the affair recovery process.

Watch this video for more:

The Betrayed Partner’s Pain Is Real

If you are the betrayed partner, please hear this: You are not overreacting. The pain after an affair can be enormous. Many people experience symptoms that are in alignment with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): flashbacks, intrusive images, obsessive thoughts, hypervigilance, panic, and a........

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