
After more than 30 years in practice, couples therapist Esther Perel has seen firsthand the havoc that infidelity can wreak on a relationship. She's also witnessed the blossoming of new love and understanding between partners after the discovery of an affair.
Which is why, when people ask her whether she's "for" or "against" cheating, Perel answers, simply and frustratingly, "Yes."
In her new book, "The State of Affairs," Perel offers a nuanced perspective on infidelity — one that deliberately eschews labels and generalizations. In the book's first chapter, Perel writes:
"Because I believe that some good may come out of the crisis of infidelity, I have often been asked, 'So, would you recommend an affair to a struggling couple?' My response? A lot of people have positive, life-changing experiences that come along with terminal illness. But I would no more recommend having an affair than I would recommend getting cancer."