Many couples just like you survive an affair. It may seem impossible at first to save your marriage after an affair has happened, but it can be done. If you want to save your marriage after an affair you'll need to get to the bottom of what caused the affair in the first place. This is the hard part because anger and jealousy kick in and your emotions run wild, but this part is vital if you want to save your marriage after an affair.

The first thing you need to do to survive an affair is admit and acknowledge that the affair happened in the first place.

This is no time for denial. In some cases, the person cheated on lets their feelings take over and never really get to the bottom of things. They carry around the emotional grudge for the rest of their life and this burden of shame or guilt. That's no way to live. Acknowledge the affair happened and get it out in the open.

The next step is to end the affair. By this time the affair has come to the forefront and it's out in the open. All communication with the third party needs to end immediately. Let's not worry about that person's feelings right now.

Odds are they knew you were married and they knew this would happen eventually. This isn't daytime drama, this is real life. Your spouse's feelings are more important here. Once the third party is out of the picture the couple can focus on the situation at hand a lot easier.

Marriage counseling can play a vital role in coping with an affair and uncovering the issues that sparked the affair to begin with. Talk to your spouse and find out what caused the affair. Was it lack of sex in the home? Or maybe boredom, lack of appreciation, any number of things. Once the actual reasons for the affair are out in the open, healing can begin.

In addition, the partner who cheated must be willing to do everything in his or her power to save this marriage if in fact they want to save the marriage at all. This is a real humbling experience for both parties. Usually a person doesn't cheat just for fun. There was a lack of something in the marriage. Whatever was lacking, fill that void (even if you don't want to right now). This is also a good time to start dating your spouse again. Begin to do the things you did when you first met. Going bowling, playing arcade games, late dinners at nice restaurants and so on.

Many married couples stay married after an affair. If you love your partner and you're committed to making your marriage work, then your marriage will prosper even after an affair.