Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
Vol. 43 No. 10 October 2005
By Dennis C. Ortman, PhD
EXCERPT
In my 28 years of counseling experience, 14 as a priest and 14 as a psychologist in private practice, I have observed that many individuals, like Donna in the vignette on the opposite page, have been traumatized by the infidelity of their partners. At any given time, approximately 20% of my adult caseload are victims of infidelity, and half of those exhibit intense and prolonged stress reactions. Certainly, discovering a partner’s adultery causes enormous stress for any individual. However, some are traumatized, feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope, often for years. Their reaction is similar to those who have had life-threatening experiences, such as war, natural disasters, violent crimes, physical and sexual abuse, and automobile accidents. These individuals manifest a predictable pattern of symptoms marked by alternating periods of emotional numbing and reliving the horror of the trauma (van der Kolk, McFarlane, & Weisaeth, 1996). Many victims of infidelity experience their psychic life threatened, and become preoccupied with the betrayal and filled with rage. I call their reaction “post-infidelity stress disorder,” with the acronym PISD, which expresses the rage that is a primary symptom of the disorder.
AUTHOR
Dr. Ortman is a psychologist in private practice in Shelby Township, Michigan.
Address correspondence to Dennis C. Ortman, PhD, 5528 Metro Parkway, Sterling Heights, MI 48310; e-mail: Drortman@aol.com.
