How do you rebuild trust after infidelity? Can a relationship survive an affair, and can emotional intimacy and sexual desire return after betrayal?

In this episode of the Sexology Podcast, Dr. Nazanin Moali speaks with renowned couples therapist and sex therapist Dr. Laurie Watson about infidelity recovery, forgiveness, attachment wounds, and rebuilding trust after cheating.

Dr. Watson explains why relationship problems involving sex are rarely just about sex. She explores how emotional attachment and sexual attachment intersect, creating a pursue and withdraw cycle in which one partner feels rejected while the other feels pressured, overwhelmed, or disconnected.

You’ll also learn why people cheat, how an affair affects emotional and sexual intimacy, and what it takes to repair a relationship after betrayal. Dr. Watson shares practical guidance for understanding attachment patterns, healing relationship wounds, restoring trust, and reconnecting sexually after infidelity.

Whether you are recovering from an affair, struggling with mismatched sexual desire, or feeling emotionally disconnected from your partner, this episode offers a compassionate roadmap for rebuilding safety, intimacy, and connection.

ABOUT DR. LAURIE WATSON:

Dr. Laurie Watson, PhD, LMFT, LCMHC, is a nationally recognized sex therapist, couples therapist, author, and podcaster. She is the co-author of Brave Love; Great Sex: Unlocking the Passion and Connection You Crave with Emotionally Focused Therapy and author of Wanting Sex Again. Laurie is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor and an ICEEFT Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist. She co-hosts the Brave Love; Great Sex podcast with George Faller, which has more than 15 million downloads and over 500 episodes. She is also the founder and director of Awakenings Center for Couples & Sex Therapy in North Carolina, where she has spent decades helping couples build stronger emotional and sexual connection.

N THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

• Why sexual desire changes in long term relationships

• How the pursue and withdraw cycle affects sex and intimacy

• The relationship between emotional and sexual attachment

• How to recognize the mega attachment pattern

• Why people cheat, even when they still love their partner

• Whether a relationship can survive infidelity

• What forgiveness after an affair really means

• How to repair attachment wounds after betrayal

• How to rebuild trust after cheating

• Ways to restore emotional and sexual intimacy

• How Dr. Watson’s REV Method helps couples reconnect

WORK WITH DR. NAZANIN MOALI:

https://sexologypodcast.com/work-with-me