Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for emotional infidelity and provides direction when emotional infidelity removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Emotional Infidelity
Emotional Infidelity often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when emotional infidelity has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult emotional infidelity periods
- A basis for action independent of how emotional infidelity makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Emotional Infidelity
Ask yourself: 'If my emotional infidelity were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Emotional Infidelity
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when emotional infidelity is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite emotional infidelity, are more sustainable than waiting for emotional infidelity to lift first.