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How to trust someone again who has consistently lied?

246 Answers
Last Updated: 05/14/2023 at 1:19am
How to trust someone again who has consistently lied?
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Polly Letsch, LCSW

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

I provide non-judgmental, person-centered, objective therapeutic treatment for individuals of all ages to improve social, emotional, mental and other areas of functioning.

Top Rated Answers
reesemc18
March 5th, 2022 7:11pm
Trusting someone again who has consistently lied to you is one of the most difficult things a person can do, as trust is not easy to earn back. It is important that the person who broke your trust and consistently lied wants to change and they want you to be able to gain trust back. Otherwise, it is helpless, as they will continue lying to you. Building trust back takes a lot of time and it is a day by day process. It will not happen every night. You have to let yourself trust this person as well. Start small and work your way to bigger things
Anonymous
March 19th, 2022 1:52am
It sounds you like are having difficulty letting this person back in your life and be able to rely and be comfortable with them again. How do you currently feel about the other person? What do you think were their motivations behind lying to you and what outcome were they trying to achieve through this risky move? What are your goals in reconnecting with this person and how deep of a personal level do you want this relationship to return to? It is okay if you currently find it hard to be open with them again, it's only natural.
Anonymous
May 11th, 2022 9:58am
Trust is an essential component of a strong relationship, but it doesn’t happen quickly. And once it’s broken, it’s hard to rebuild. When you think about circumstances that could lead you to lose trust in your partner, infidelity may come to mind right away. But cheating isn’t the only way to break trust in a relationship. Other possibilities include: a pattern of going back on your word or breaking promises not being there for your partner in a time of need withholding, or keeping something back lying or manipulation a pattern of not sharing feelings openly What does trust mean? Before going over how to rebuild trust, it’s important to understand what trust is, exactly. To start, it might be helpful to think of trust as a choice that someone has to make. You can’t make someone trust you. You might not choose to trust someone until they show that they’re worthy of it. It’s also important to understand what trust isn’t. In a relationship, for example, trust doesn’t necessarily mean you tell your partner every single thing that crosses your mind. It’s normal to have personal thoughts you keep to yourself. Trust also doesn’t mean giving each other access to: bank accounts (unless it’s a shared one) personal computers cell phones social media accounts You may not mind sharing this information, especially in case of an emergency. But the presence of trust in a relationship generally means you don’t need to check up on your partner. You have faith in them and feel able to talk about any concerns you might have. Consider the reason behind the lie or betrayal When you’ve been lied to, you might not care much about the reasons behind it. But people do sometimes lie when they simply don’t know what else to do. This doesn’t make their choice right, but it can help to consider how you might have reacted in their position. Sure, your partner may have betrayed you to protect themselves, but they may have had a different motive. Were they trying to protect you from bad news? Make the best of a bad money situation? Help a family member? Maybe the betrayal of trust resulted from a miscommunication or misunderstanding. Whatever happened, it’s important to make it clear that what they did wasn’t OK. But knowing the reasons behind their actions may help you decide whether you’re able to begin rebuilding the trust you once shared. Communicate, communicate, communicate It might be painful or uncomfortable, but one of the biggest aspects of rebuilding trust after betrayal is talking to you partner about the situation. Set aside some time to clearly tell them: how you feel about the situation why the betrayal of trust hurt you what you need from them to start rebuilding trust Give them a chance to talk, but pay attention to their sincerity. Do they apologize and seem truly regretful? Or are they defensive and unwilling to own up to their betrayal? You may feel emotional or upset during this conversation. These feelings are completely valid. If you feel yourself getting too upset to continue communicating in a productive way, take a break and come back to the topic later. Talking about what happened is just the beginning. It’s perfectly fine, and entirely normal, if you can’t work through everything in just a night or two. Practice forgiveness If you want to repair a relationship after a betrayal, forgiveness is key. Not only will you need to forgive your partner, but you also may need to forgive yourself. Blaming yourself in some way for what happened can keep you stuck in self-doubt. That can hurt the chances of your relationship’s recovery. Depending on the betrayal, it might be hard to forgive your partner and move forward. But try to remember that forgiving your partner isn’t saying that what they did was OK. Rather, you’re empowering yourself to come to terms with what happened and leave it in the past. You’re also giving your partner a chance to learn and grow from their mistakes. Avoid dwelling on the past Once you’ve fully discussed the betrayal, it’s generally best to put the issue to bed. This means you don’t want to bring it up in future arguments. You’ll also want to go easy on constantly checking in on your partner to make sure they aren’t lying to you again. This isn’t always easy, especially at first. You might have a hard time letting go of the betrayal and find it difficult to start trusting your partner, especially if you’re worried about another betrayal. But when you decide to give the relationship a second chance, you’re also deciding to trust your partner again. Maybe you can’t completely trust them right away, but you’re implying you’ll give trust a chance to regrow. If you can’t keep thinking about what happened or have misgivings about your partner’s future honesty or faithfulness, couples counseling can help. But these signs could also indicate you may not be ready to work on the relationship. Rebuilding trust when you’ve hurt someone You messed up. Maybe you lied and hurt your partner or withheld information you thought would hurt them. No matter your reasons, you know you caused them pain, and you feel terrible. You may feel like you’d do anything to show them they can trust you again. First, it’s important to understand that the broken trust may be beyond repair. But if you both wont to work on repairing the relationship, there are a few helpful steps you can take. Consider why you did it Before you embark on the process of rebuilding trust, you’ll first want to check in with yourself to understand why you did it. Is it possible that you wanted to end the relationship but didn’t know how to? Or were there specific needs that weren’t being met by your partner? Or was it just a dumb mistake? Understanding the motives behind your behavior can be difficult, but it’s a crucial part of rebuilding trust. Apologize sincerely If you lied, cheated, or otherwise damaged your partner’s faith in you, a genuine apology is a good way to start making amends. It’s important to acknowledge you made a mistake. Just remember that your apology isn’t the time to justify your actions or explain the situation. If some factors did influence your actions, you can always share these with your partner after apologizing and owning your part in the situation. Be specific When you apologize, be specific to show you know what you did was wrong. Use “I” statements. Avoid putting blame on your partner. For example, instead of “I’m sorry I hurt you,” try: “I’m sorry I lied to you about where I was going. I know I should’ve told you the truth, and I regret causing you pain. I want you to know I’ll never do it again.” Make sure to follow up by telling them how you intend to avoid making the same mistake again. If you aren’t sure what they need from you to work on the relationship, you can ask. Just make sure you’re ready and willing to actively listen to their answer. Give your partner time Even if you’re ready to apologize, talk about what happened, and begin working through things, your partner may not feel ready yet. It can take time to come to terms with a betrayal or broken trust. People process things in different ways, too. Your partner might want to talk right away. But they also might need days or weeks before they can address the issue with you. It’s important to avoid pressuring them to have a discussion before they’re ready. Apologize and let your partner know you’re ready when they are. If you’re struggling in the meantime, consider talking to a counselor who can offer unbiased and supportive guidance. Let their needs guide you Your partner may need space and time before they can discuss what happened. And often, this might involve physical space. This might be difficult to face, but respecting your partner’s boundaries and needs can go a long way toward showing them they can depend on you again. Your partner may want more transparency and communication from you in the future. This is common after a betrayal of trust. You may even willingly share your phone and computer with your partner to prove your honesty. But if you’ve made some progress in repairing your relationship and your partner continues to monitor your activities and communications with others, talking to a couples counselor can help. Commit to clear communication In the immediate aftermath of broken trust, you’ll want to honestly answer your partner’s questions and commit to being completely open with them in the future. To do this, you have to make sure you’re clear on the level of communication they need. Let’s say you broke their trust by withholding some information you didn’t think was really important, and you didn’t understand why they felt so betrayed. This can indicate there’s a deeper issue with communication in your relationship. If you want to repair your relationship and avoid hurting your partner again in the future, you need to reach a mutual understanding of what good communication looks like. Miscommunications or misunderstandings can sometimes cause as much pain as intentional dishonesty. What about the details of an affair? Relationship counselors often recommend against providing specific details about a sexual encounter with someone else. If you’ve cheated, your partner may have a lot of questions about what exactly happened. And you might want to answer them in an effort to be transparent. But talking about the details of an encounter can cause further pain that isn’t very productive. If your partner wants details, consider asking them to wait until you can see a therapist together. The therapist can help you navigate the healthiest way to address these questions. In the meantime, you can still honestly answer their questions without giving explicit details. How long will it take? Being in a relationship with broken trust can be extremely uncomfortable. Both sides might be eager to get the whole rebuilding process over with as fast as possible. But realistically, this takes time. How much time, exactly? It depends on a lot of factors, particularly the event that broke the trust. Long-standing patterns of infidelity or dishonestly will take longer to resolve. A single lie grounded in a misunderstanding or desire to protect may be easier to address, especially when the partner who lied shows sincere regret and a renewed commitment to communication. Have patience with yourself. Don’t let your partner rush you. A partner who truly regrets hurting you may be hurting, too, but if they truly care for you and want to fix things, they should also understand it isn’t helpful to rush right back into the way things were. Is it worth it? Rebuilding trust isn’t an easy task. It’s normal to question if it’s even worth it before you decide to commit to working on your relationship. If your partner makes a mistake or two over the course of a long relationship and owns up to it, working on trust issues may be the right move. As long as there’s still love and commitment between the two of you, working on trust issues will only make your relationship stronger. But if you know you’ll never be able to completely trust your partner again, no matter what they do, it’s generally best to make this clear right away so you can both begin to move forward separately. It’s also worth weighing your options if you’ve discovered years of infidelity, financial dishonesty, manipulation, or other major breaches of trust. Other red flags that might signal it’s time to throw in the towel include: continued deceit or manipulation an insincere apology behavior that doesn’t match up with their words
Quesadillaqueen12
May 19th, 2022 2:18pm
Trusting someone who has lied over and over is a very hard thing to do. Its nit something you can you just forgive and forget super quick either. I have experienced this more than just a couple of times in the past. Dealing with people that lie constantly isn’t easy, they usually tend to make it a habit. Sometimes it gets so bad to the point where they start believing their own lies. I think the best way to try and trust someone again is to let them show you that they are in fact trust worthy. It will definitely take some time but don’t shut them out everytime they say or do something. Give them a chance to prove themselves.
ColorMeHopeful
May 25th, 2022 6:57pm
This can be extremely challenging to do and for good reason. I believe this is possible with time and the person’s changed behavior. By communicating regularly, and the persons actions showing a commitment to follow through again and again. You should also have a willingness to forgive the past behaviors of the person and an open heart to trust again. Relationships in general take a lot of hard work from both parties. If you’re both willing to put in the effort it is absolutely possible to regain trust. I wish you much success in the process. Please take care.
calmMango9611
May 14th, 2023 1:19am
Trust is a big thing. It would be hard to do, but it can be done. It will require lots of effort from both the sides, to gain each other's trust and to not lose it. If the person agrees to never lie, to you again, and they are serious about it, then you can think about it. But, on the other hand, if they keep on lying to you, then it will be difficult to trust them. Trust, in my opinion, has to be earned. How is it earned? It is earned over time. Telling the truth is sometimes hard. But lies, make it hard to earn one's trust. See, if you can get them, to start telling the truth, and see what happens. I hope this answers your question. I wish you the best of luck.