In immediate danger? Call your local emergency number.

Find a crisis line in your country
Griefyard Works
Search My Harbor Start here
The Library

ExplainerRelationships1 minute read

Trust after betrayal

Whether and how trust can be rebuilt after an affair or a serious breach.

Betrayal shakes the foundation of a relationship. Some couples rebuild. Some do not. Both are valid.

If you were betrayed

  • Your shock and anger are normal
  • You do not need to decide straight away whether to stay
  • Take care of your health. Betrayal can affect sleep, appetite and mood

If you caused the betrayal

  • Take responsibility without excuses
  • Answer questions honestly
  • Accept that trust takes time and is earned through actions
  • Do not rush your partner to forgive

Rebuilding

Couples counselling can help both people understand what happened and decide whether to continue. Rebuilding usually takes months, not weeks.

KEEP EXPLORING

Keep exploring.

Everything

  • CampaignBreak the stigma

    Men can leave.

    Abuse from a partner is not limited by gender or orientation. Neither is the right to be safe.

    Men

  • CourseBeing written

    Coming back to people

    The friendships that went quiet. Why people stopped asking. Giving people a job. What to say when someone asks how you are and you have nothing.

    Free4 modulesLoneliness

  • LibraryScript

    How to tell someone you trust

    If you want one person to know, how to start, and how much to say.

    1 minute readTrauma

  • ProgramForming now

    Return to Shore

    Rebuilding after trauma, crisis, loss or major disruption.

    From $149, sliding scaleOnline, hybrid where partners allowStarting over

  • CourseBeing written

    Grief without a funeral

    Breakups, estrangement, a life that did not happen, a person who is alive but gone. The losses nobody marks, and how to carry them.

    $294 modulesGrief

  • LibraryPractical guide

    When trauma affects your relationship

    How what happened to you can show up between you and a partner, and how to talk about it.

    1 minute readTrauma

  • CourseBeing written

    After the relationship

    Rebuilding after a relationship ends, including one that was controlling or unsafe. Practical, honest, and written for men as well as everyone else.

    $194 modulesRelationships

Quick exitLeaves this page immediately. Shortcut: Escape twice.