About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of infidelity and betrayal with therapist Lauren LaRusso, exploring the emotional aftermath and societal myths surrounding cheating.

There is life after betrayal. It might not feel like it right now, but there is. My guest today is Lauren LaRusso, a licensed therapist and the author of Beyond Infidelity, a book she wrote after living through betrayal herself. Then she discovered the infidelity, and everything split into a before and an after. We talk about why infidelity is a trauma, not just a relationship issue, how being gaslit by someone you love can make you stop trusting yourself, and why the reaction you’re having probably isn’t “too much.” It’s grief. It’s shock. It’s your body trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense. We also get into the myths that don’t help — “happy people don’t cheat,” “if it were me, I’d leave immediately,” and “once a cheater, always a cheater.” Lauren brings so much nuance to the messy middle: staying, leaving, repair, shame, self-soothing, emotional maturity, and learning to live with answers you may never get. This one is for anyone who’s been betrayed, anyone who’s betrayed someone else, or anyone trying to understand how love, devastation, anger, and hope can all live in the same body. Find Lauren: Website: https://www.laurenlarusso.com Instagram…

People in this episode

Host: Shaun Galanos

Guest: Lauren LaRusso

Topics covered

• infidelity
• betrayal
• emotional trauma
• relationships
• self-trust
• grief

Keywords

• infidelity
• betrayal
• emotional trauma
• gaslighting
• relationships
• self-soothing
• grief

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Beyond Infidelity

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