Married To An Intimacy-avoider?

The walls that hinder emotional intimacy can be chipped away with a little commitment and a lot of love, says

- Salome Mitter.

Sexual intimacy and emotional intimacy - we want and need both to feel content and fulfilled in our relationship. One without the other is like a bicycle minus a wheel: We would be stuck in a very unhappy place! The hunger for sexual connection is a powerful need that goes beyond intercourse. The physical form of our partner, his presence, all the sounds, textures and scents of the experience, come together to create and fuel love and intimacy. Sex is a huge connector. It’s the time we let down our barriers, and welcome another person into our most private and special personal space.

Sexual intimacy needs vulnerability and trust. And emotional intimacy, even more so! To be accepted and loved for ourselves, to share our good and bad times… that bond of closeness, trust and comfort is a deep-seated need. Emotional intimacy requires “...a high level of transparency and openness. This involves a degree of vulnerability that can feel uncomfortable or anxiety-producing to many of us,” the experts say. And yet, achieve it we must or be resigned to living isolated lives low on emotional well-being as well as physical health.