Full Therapeutic Disclosure: An Important Step in Healing
For individuals and couples struggling with infidelity or addiction and emotional trauma, full therapeutic disclosure can be a powerful tool in repairing the truth foundation and achieving lasting recovery and healing. While the process can be difficult and emotionally draining, it can also lead to greater understanding, empathy, and trust in relationships. To prepare and present your disclosure with therapists who have received specialized training in facilitating the process is important. Our Certified Sex Addiction Therapists (CSAT), Certified Clinical Partner Specialists (CCPS), and Certified Partner Trauma Therapists (CPTT) have all received specialized training and follow a process to provide truth while mitigating additional trauma to each of you and your relationship.
The Process for Both Partners to Prepare
We understand the importance of full therapeutic disclosure in the recovery process. In the journey toward healing and recovery, full therapeutic disclosure plays a vital role in fostering understanding and facilitating growth within intimate relationships. It involves the courageous act of disclosing secret and sexual searches, as well as any communication or contact that may have involved other individuals. This open and honest exchange can be profoundly helpful for both partners involved.
For The Betrayed
For the betrayed partner, receiving the truth and having a clear understanding of what they are healing from is of utmost importance. It provides a foundation for processing emotions, rebuilding trust, and working toward forgiveness and healing. By shedding light on the hidden aspects, our compassionate therapists ensure that you are not left in the dark, offering reassurance that you are not alone in your journey.
For The Betrayer
Equally significant, full therapeutic disclosure also holds tremendous value for the partner who engaged in the betrayal. By courageously and responsibly sharing their actions, they take an essential step towards accountability and breaking free from the burden of secrecy. It is through this process that they can begin to rebuild themselves and their relationships on a foundation of honesty, fostering lasting change and growth.
Through this process, clients can find healing and renewed strength in their relationships. The therapist acts as a guide, helping to facilitate communication and managing any conflicts that might arise.
Types of Therapeutic Disclosures
Safety Disclosure: Safety disclosures are a crucial aspect of our therapeutic process, specifically when there is a threat to the safety of children or financial stability within the family unit. These disclosures are handled promptly and efficiently, prioritizing the urgent need for intervention and protection.
Full Disclosure: Full therapeutic disclosure involves sharing secret and sexual searches, communication, and/or contact if other people were involved. This is helpful for both partners: for the one who was betrayed to receive the truth and know what they are healing from is important, and for the one who did the betraying, to share from a place of responsibility and not hold the secrets is critical to recovery.
Family Disclosure: By embracing the power of family disclosure, we provide families with a chance to strengthen their bonds on a foundation of honesty and empathy. It empowers every family member to take an active role in the recovery process, creating a lasting gift of healing and transformation.
Type of Disclosure to Avoid
Forced Confession: Forced confession is a type of disclosure that can be detrimental to the recovery and healing process. It involves pressuring or coercing individuals to disclose sensitive or traumatic information against their will or when they are not emotionally ready. This approach can cause further harm, retraumatization, and damage trust within relationships.
Staggered Disclosure: Staggered disclosure refers to the gradual revelation of information, where each new detail uncovered can re-open wounds and re-traumatize a betrayed partner. It can lead to an unending cycle of questions, seeking more details, only to be met with incomplete information. To make matters worse, the graphic nature of these details can become intrusive, replaying in the mind and intensifying emotional distress.
If you or someone you know is navigating infidelity, sex addiction, or betrayal trauma and is considering full therapeutic disclosure, we urge you to seek the guidance and support of a professional therapist trained in facilitating this process. With the right guidance, full therapeutic disclosure can be a powerful tool for healing and positive change. Remember, you are not alone – we are here to help you recover and thrive. Reach out here to take the next step to healing and recovery.