8 Things To Keep In Mind If You're Dating Again After Being Cheated On

Dating again after you were cheated on can come with a number of hurdles. This traumatic experience—and yes, it is traumatic—can leave anyone with feelings of broken trust, low self-esteem, and hopelessness when it comes to finding love again. And when you do finally meet someone new, it can be difficult to overcome those feelings. So, we asked relationship experts for their top tips on trusting again after you were cheated on. Here's what they had to say:

With that in mind, it's also important to recognize any feelings of shame surrounding the cheating, relationship therapist Ken Page, LCSW, explains. Thoughts like, "I'm not attractive enough," or "Why did my last partner want someone else?" may come up, as you attempt to blame yourself for your partner's poor choices. This requires "a lot of tender care and support," he adds.

Page notes that the experience of being betrayed is one of the most traumatic experiences someone can have, and it can be difficult to even wrap our minds around how much that betrayal shakes us to the core. "The most important thing to do is to take care of yourself," he says, adding when you experience trauma like this, you really have to put yourself first and know there's healing that needs to happen for you. And as Birkel notes, "Remind yourself that you will be happy and healthy whether this new relationship works out or not."

"These wounds can be healed, but they need to be healed with a great deal of trust, ongoing conversation, and usually deep support," Page says. "Understand that it will be a vulnerable point, and make space for that in your conversation with your new partner."

As Page notes, a support group for people who've experienced cheating may also be incredibly validating and eye-opening to you. But ultimately, "You definitely want to speak to people you feel are understanding and make space for you and your needs," he says, echoing Birkel that you can always use trusted friends as a sounding board when you're having lapses in trust.

Page recommends therapies like EMDR, brainspotting, somatic experiencing, and accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy (AEDP). He also recommends EFT tapping, which can be self-administered and is "very powerful for dealing with trauma" and "helpful for finding our resilience, balance, and inner wisdom."

Yes, the unfortunate fact of the matter is there are people who cheat. But not everyone does—in fact, the majority don't, according to research. As you get back into the dating world, Birkel says to "remind yourself that their cheating had everything to do with them and nothing to do with you." Allow yourself to take as much time as you need to start dating again. When you do, be confident, and in the words of Birkel, "Dare to be cautiously optimistic."

Ideally, when you do find someone new to date, they'll exemplify better qualities than the last person you were with. But still, they probably won't be able to take away your fears completely. It's important to find someone who's understanding of this, Page says and also to "find the words to help you express your fears without blaming the other person or being unnecessarily suspicious."

While it may take time, patience, and deep healing, having a healthy and trusting relationship after you were cheated on is entirely possible. It may not be easy, but when you can learn to be open and vulnerable in all the right ways, get to the root of your healing, and finally start trusting again, your relationship going forward will be that much stronger.