There are five primary acceptance myths that abound when dealing with infidelity.

acceptance mythBy Savannah Ellis

Unfortunately, most people in our culture have the wrong idea about what acceptance means. There are five primary myths that abound. I would like to describe each myth for you, and then tell you why it is a myth.

Acceptance Myth #1: Acceptance Can Happen All at Once

This is the #1 myth about acceptance because it is totally unfounded. Like so many other types of magical thinking, people tend to believe that acceptance is black and white, a switch of some kind that you either turn on or leave off. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even if you wake up one day and say to yourself, “I am ready to accept the past and move on,” it is the result of an accumulation of small changes occurring over time.

You might notice one day that the affair has less immediate impact on your life and that slowly you are beginning to accept it. Or perhaps you are thinking about your situation and realize in retrospect that you have been paying less and less attention to the affair and more and more attention to the future with your partner.

Acceptance is a process. It can fade in and out for you over a period of time. There might be days when you feel you are really moving forward, and there might be days when you feel you are drowning in your emotions about the affair. This process is natural.

Acceptance typically takes time.

Fortunate or unfortunate as it might be, human beings are much more complicated than a simple light switch. We are not robots who can turn emotions on or off with a switch. Even if this were possible, it wouldn’t be a final solution to all the difficulties inherent in an intimate relationship. People make mistakes in judgment.  There will undoubtedly be other things your partner will do that will hurt your feelings, perhaps in ways that are difficult to come to terms with.

A long-term or life-long relationship means that you are in it together through thick and thin. Being in a relationship means that you offer to be emotionally present to own up to the wrong things you do and your errors in judgment that end up hurting the one you love. It could be either one of you on the hurting end of this equation, and your commitment needs to be to stay together and work it out within the relationship to create an even stronger bond in the long run.

See also  Healing From Infidelity: How to Get Over the Hurt

Surviving these hurtful times without bringing up the “D-word” (divorce) and without demeaning or disrespecting your partner builds trust in each other and in your commitment to grow old together. The need to accept again and again is inherent in any relationship. It is particularly necessary in intimate relationships where the softer, more vulnerable parts of you are opened up and shared with another. Inevitably, your partner will step on your delicate feelings. You need to learn to accept their mistakes authentically to keep the relationship alive and thriving. In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff.

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Myth #2: Once You Accept the Affair, Positive Feelings Will Replace the Negative Feelings You Once Had

Many people have the mistaken notion that if they can accept the past it will be like taking some sort of magical potion that will replace all of their negative feelings with lighter, more positive ones. This isn’t the case. Accepting the affair will not undo the hurt your partner caused you. It can’t, and it isn’t about that.

Accepting the affair is a way of saying that you have opened your heart to your partner again, that you are ready to leave the past behind, and that you want to move forward with your relationship. Do not allow yourself to get fooled into believing this means the past has been obliterated.

The idea of acceptance is predicated on the fact that the past has happened and, in fact, cannot be undone. After all, if you could change it, wouldn’t you? At some point you hopefully will have a sense that your relationship is growing into something new and fresh.  It should be different and better than it was before.

Ironically, it is your past that has allowed that to happen. An affair isn’t good in any sense. But it can be used as a stepping stone; you can rise above it to make your relationship better than it ever has been, if both of you are working hard at reestablishing your relationship.

Negative Emotions

Negative emotions are useful to us. They tell us that something is wrong and that we need to change something in our lives. In the case of an affair, the negative feelings that you both faced can allow you to realize that you want to move forward together toward a better more fulfilling relationship.

See also  Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude

Accepting isn’t about eliminating these negative feelings; it’s about using them to your benefit. It offers a method for you to use the terrible negative event that has happened in a positive way. Don’t worry if you still have negative feelings about the affair. Let those negative feelings operate as a reminder that you are committed to accepting your partner every day. Accept the past again when the negative feelings come up. In this way, you are putting those difficult emotions to good use.

As difficult and painful as it might be to do in the short-run, when the cheater helps the injured work through the bad feelings by active listening and understanding it helps heal the relationship in the long-run. Through active listening, understanding, and taking the “hit” for guilty actions, the cheater begins to demonstrate that they are on the injured person’s side, sharing together an understanding of how awful the cheater acted in the past (the “old” version of the person who cheated.)

Acceptance Myth #3: Accepting the Affair Means You Were Wrong to Have Had Such a Strong Reaction to It in the First Place

Acceptance is sometimes associated with an admission of guilt or the idea that you somehow weren’t justified in what you were thinking or feeling. This also is an absolute falsehood. You had and have every right to think and feel your thoughts and feelings about the affair.

Accepting it does not mean that you now need to recant and say that these thoughts and feelings were wrong. Don’t feel like you have to rationalize your thoughts about the affair or your need to accept it and move on. This is about the two of you as a couple. In your heart you know what’s right for you.

Remember to protect yourself by waiting until you can authentically accept the affair as part of your history. Follow your heart’s voice.

Myth #4: Accepting the Affair Means Your Partner Is off the Hook

Many betrayed spouses have the concern that the cheater might think he/she was off the hook if told that their spouse was ready to accept the affair and move forward with their relationship. What’s worse is that some cheating partner’s seem to think this is true.

See also  The Perfect Storm

Neither you nor your partner should make any mistake about this point: acceptance does not mean that you are releasing your partner from the responsibility they carry for what they’ve done. They are not off the hook. In fact, it is only when your partner shows you that they understand what they have done and are ready to own their responsibility in it that you will be ready to accept the affair and move forward.

Acceptance means you are able to accept the fact that the affair took place and continue to do the work necessary to heal your relationship. Carrying on in this matter means that both of you need to take responsibility for your relationship and what you have done in and to your relationship.

This means that the cheater is not off the hook. In fact, they are never going to be relieved of their responsibility for the affair. They will have to continue to bear that burden. Nonetheless, acceptance might come with a sense of relief for both partners. Realizing that you are willing to let go of the past a little bit and move forward with your life can be a breath of fresh air. Let it be that.

Acceptance Myth #5: Accepting the Affair Does Not Mean Forgetting about It

Though it might be true that you are ready to move on, accepting the affair does not mean that you need to forget that it happened. On the contrary, I encourage you not to forget about it completely so you can keep some perspective on how far you have come, as well as the road that lies ahead.

This also doesn’t mean that you need to dwell on it night and day if you feel that you are ready to move beyond that. Accepting the affair without forgetting means that, eventually, it won’t play a role in your day-to-day existence.

In some ways you will probably start getting closer to the life you were living before the affair, but with more openness and honesty. But you don’t want to forget the progress you’ve made either. Try to strike your own balance between remembering how far you have come down this path and letting go of your daily memories of the affair.


Savannah Ellis

Savannah Ellis provides couples therapy & individual coaching and specializes in helping couples and individuals understand how to recover from affairs & infidelity. She can be reached on her website at SavannahEllis.net.

 

 

 

 

 

    9 replies to "The Five Myths that Surround Acceptance"

    • Shifting Impressions

      This is the best piece of writing I have ever read about acceptance. It validates my ups and downs as I slowly navigate this difficult process of acceptance. I whole heartedly agree with everyone of those myths.

      Once again this post is so timely.

    • TheFirstWife

      I think for #4 that the Cheating Spouse believes they are off the hook in that they no longer have to try as hard.
      Sad but they should try every day for the rest of their life. That is what is required. At least in my book. Not in gifts and things like that, but in expressing true love and devotion and gratefulness that we chose to stay and not run out the door (as that is the first instinct)

    • exercisegrace

      I would add here that “acceptance” and “forgiveness” are two entirely separate issues. I had to accept the fact that my husband cheated on me, despite the fact our marriage wasn’t crappy and I never thought I would have to deal with this issue. I had to come to grips with the fact that infidelity (like it or not) is a chapter in our story. It took awhile for this happen, and my head and heart had to sync. Forgiveness is different. It is both a decision and a process that I get up every day and commit to doing. I think (for me) acceptance was when the initial emotional storm subsided a bit, and I could begin to exert some control.

    • Tryinghard

      What a wonderful article. I have struggled so much with forgiveness. So much so that I have even resorted to merriam-websters definition of the word. All your life you think you really know the meaning of simple words like forgiveness and acceptance. And then one day you are personally and emotionally faced with finding the true mean if those words.

      I believe there is a difference between forgiveness and acceptance. While I have felt tremendous guilt for trying to forgive according to societal and Christian standards, I find myself truly lacking in the forgiveness arena. Maybe someday….

      I did however learn that I could accept what happened and move on from there. Now every morning when I pray I no longer pray or search for my ability to forgive and instead pray for the grace that is acceptance. I’m getting there day by day. Or maybe it’s just the gift of time. I don’t know for sure.

      Thank you so much for posting this article.

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