By Dr. Eddie Capparucci. LPC, CSAS

Note: I understand women also betray their partners but for the sake of not bouncing back and forward with pronouns I will often refer to betraying partners as men.

Let me start with a hard truth.

When betraying partners are discovered, the greatest challenge they face is not stopping the problematic sexual behaviors. It is learning to stay emotionally present after the damage has been done.

Betraying partners do not expect to be put in this position after their mess is discovered. They think the work is about becoming and maintaining sobriety. They are sadly mistaken. Sobriety is necessary—but it is not sufficient.

What ultimately determines whether a betrayed partner will heal and the marriage will be renewed depends on whether these men can emotionally lead in the presence of their partners’ horrible pain.

And here is the issue. For many men sitting with emotional discomfort is unfamiliar territory. In fact, their inability to tolerate emotional distress is often one of the primary reasons they used sexual behaviors to regulate themselves in the first place.

Now, at the height of experiencing the greatest emotional distress they most likely have ever faced, we tell these men to lean in, validate, don’t be defensive, stay emotionally regulated, be curious, and demonstrate empathy. Empathy. Most of them were never taught how to access it, let alone express it.

Understanding Not Excuses

Now, do not mistake this for sympathy or an invitation to lower the bar on these men. It is neither. I am not asking that we go easier on these individuals. Again, I repeat—I am not.

My heart goes out to those they harmed, because I also harmed. I raise this topic because we must set realistic expectations about their emotional development—both what is possible and the timeframe in which it occurs. Hopefully, this will reduce some of the frustration for many women who are seeking comfort that never comes.

Within several months of discovery some women, therapists, and coaches are upset that betraying partners are not consistently implementing the wonderful practices designed by clinicians like Carol Sheets.

A betraying partner cannot give emotional connection if he does not possess it. Emotional capacity must be developed—and that process does not happen overnight. In my practice, I have found it takes approximately two years for many men to develop consistent emotional connection with themselves.

We must set expectations accordingly to reduce unnecessary disappointment when these individuals fail to demonstrate the emotional skills many want to see immediately.

Our objective is not to create surface-level emotional compliance. It is to develop Emotional Leadership—so empathy and attunement become authentic, not performative. We do not seek to cover up their emotional deficiencies with a Band-Aid that will leak.  

So, what is Emotional Leadership? I will explain that in a moment. But first we must understand the obstacles of achieving it.

You cannot establish Emotional Leadership if you cannot regulate yourself. If your partner’s pain hijacks you, or her anger overwhelms you, then you are not emotionally regulated. If you allow her grief to trigger your shame, you will emotionally collapse rather than lead.

These reactions signal that your attention has shifted away from your partner’s pain and back onto your own discomfort. You are no longer facing the damage you caused—you are trying to escape it.

And here’s the irony: she wishes it would all go away too.

Many of these men are emotionally underdeveloped. They became stuck in early stages of emotional development, leaving them governed by fear that blocks intimacy, empathy, bonding, and attunement.

What Emotional Leadership is Not

What is needed? Emotional Leadership. But what is it? Let us start by discussing what it is not. Emotional Leadership is not:

If that is what you are doing – and for many it is – you are not demonstrating Emotional Leadership. You are protecting yourself, just as you have all your life. But here self-protection does not create safety. It creates distance—and deepens the wound.

Emotional Leadership has nothing to do with winning, fixing, manipulating, or persuading. It has everything to do with how you handle emotional distress when things become uncomfortable. And betrayal trauma is, by definition, uncomfortable.

When your betrayed partner grieves—cries, accuses, questions, escalates, or revisits the past—it overwhelms your autonomic nervous system.

Danger Will Robertson. Danger. (If you were born after 1975 you have no idea what I just wrote about.)

When the nervous system is flooded, what happens next is predictable:

They shut down.
They defend.
They minimize.
They argue facts.
They try to calm the storm instead of standing in it.

Their attention has shifted—from the injured partner to themselves. That is not Emotional Leadership. That is emotional retreat. And their partner feels that immediately.

What Emotional Leadership Is

Emotional Leadership begins with one demanding commitment:

“I will emotionally and mentally manage myself so I can stay present with my partner’s pain.”

Not fix it.

Not stopping it.

Not defend yourself.

Just staying present.

Emotionally mature men do not interpret escalation as danger. They recognize it as grief. They understand their partner is not the enemy—disconnection is. So instead of withdrawing, they lean in—regulated, grounded, and steady. Not robotic. Not cold. Present.

They listen. They ask clarifying questions. They seek understanding—not absolution.

When you stay emotionally regulated in the presence of her pain, you send powerful messages without saying much.

You say:

For a betrayed partner, that is safety. And safety—not explanations—is what their nervous system is seeking to regulate.

Need to Be Right

Here is another obstacle when it comes to demonstrating Emotional Leadership, and that is a man’s need to be right.

When accusations surface—especially ones that feel unfair or inaccurate—most feel an irresistible pull to correct the record.

They think, “If I can just explain this properly, she’ll calm down.”

But once they start explaining, what their partner experiences is something very different. They see an individual more invested in defending their image than acknowledging her pain.

Here is the truth betraying partners need to hear. You can be factually correct and emotionally absent at the same time. And that is not a good thing. In fact, that is the hill many relationships die on.

Demonstrating Emotional Leadership means you prioritize your partner’s experience before you need to explain yourself.

This does not mean the truth never matters. It means timing matters more in moments of distress.

An Emotional Leadership response sounds less like defense and more like humility. It sounds like:

·      “I understand why your mind goes there, given what I’ve done.”

·      “Your fear makes sense.”

·      “I’m not here to argue with your pain.”

Only after that foundation is made through validation do you ask permission to clarify. Yes, you ask permission.

For example, “Your fear makes sense. I do however have some additional information that could change the way you are viewing the current situation. May I share it with you?”

And if they say no?

You don’t push. You don’t plead. You don’t sulk. Instead, you simply acknowledge their wish. “It’s not a problem, if you change your mind, please let me know.”

And then you wait. And you return later—with the same steadiness. Because demonstrating Emotional Leadership is not a one-time performance. It is consistency over time.

You go back the next day and ask once again if you can share your information. If you are rejected, go back the next day and try again.

Conflict and Containment

I often hear clients say, “We got into a huge fight.” I stop them right there. A fight requires two combatants. Why would someone who has already wounded his partner feel the need to fight with them?

That is not Emotional Leadership. That is ego protection.

Emotional Leadership means knowing when to pause. If a betrayed partner is contemptuous, throws things, hits, then the betraying partner as a sign of Emotional Leadership calmly announces the discussion is finished for the time being. You will not stay, get escalated and start fighting with your hurting partner. The person you crushed does not deserve to have you argue with them.

You do not storm off. You do not shut down. You do not punish with silence. You lead a therapeutic pause. You also announce you will return in a short time to see if the dialogue can continue in a safe manner.

A woman asked on my webinar “why should he get the luxury of taking a timeout?” Well, first it is not a luxury. It is a necessity if you do not want him to get emotionally dysregulated and either intensify or collapse. That time out is beneficial for both parties involved.

Emotional Leadership is Authentic

Let me say this clearly. Demonstrating Emotional Leadership is not a script. It is not a strategy. It is not something you perform to get a result.

It is driven by an individual who is no longer ruled by emotional fear. A person who is anchored in integrity, humility, and growth. Someone who is emotionally mature and transforming.

We do not lean in because it works. We lean in because this is who we are becoming.

Betrayal creates emotional storms. But storms do not require panic. They require steadiness.

When you can stay present, regulated, and grounded in the face of your partner’s pain, something profound happens. Their nervous system softens. Trust begins to slowly be rebuilt. And healing becomes possible.

Not because you persuaded them. But because you showed them—again and again—that you are safe.

That is demonstrating Emotional Leadership.

If you struggle with to emotional regulation, you can receive a free copy of regulation techniques by emailing me at [email protected].