![\"Surefire](\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Surefire-Ways-to-Deepen-Your-Connection-With-Your-Partner.jpg\" "\\"Surefire")
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Emotional intimacy is the bedrock of a fantastic marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n Couples who can achieve secure attachment and build a strong emotional connection are<\/span><\/i> able to risk being vulnerable.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Erik, 42, and Amanda, 40, a couple who I counseled recently came to my office looking to deepen their connection due to experiencing stress following the sudden death of Amanda’s mother and Erik being away for work and not being able to support her during her period of intense grief.<\/span><\/p>\n Amanda put it like this, “The last six months were very challenging after my mom died and Erik was away a lot, and we grew apart. He wasn’t around when I needed him and I built up resentment and developed mistrust in him, fearing that he met someone else or fell out of love with me.”<\/span><\/p>\n Erik responded, “Amanda is right and I feel awful about this. I just want a chance to make it up to her. The project I was working on involved travel out of state and I couldn’t refuse it. It was bad timing and I love Amanda and want to prove it to her.”<\/span><\/p>\n Cultivating intimacy involves allowing yourself to be vulnerable and trusting your partner.<\/span><\/p>\n All relationships have tension at times. Still, it is crucial for partners to use that tension to become more emotionally attuned, physically affectionate, and open about their thoughts, feelings, and desires.<\/span><\/p>\n Happy couples can quickly figure out whether their trust issues stem from their present relationship or are past emotional residue.<\/span><\/p>\n If you make a careful examination of your history and your partner’s history, you will <\/span>stop repeating the past.<\/span><\/p>\n It is possible to deal effectively with ghosts from the past by extending trust to each other through words and actions that are consistent with a loving, long-term view of marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, Amanda was able to identify in couples’ therapy that her trust issues started with her childhood since her dad betrayed her mother for years when he was a truck driver and drove to Florida for an extended period of time.<\/span><\/p>\n As a result, Amanda told Erik that she now realized that some of her mistrust came from her past and her feelings became more intense when he traveled out of state.<\/span><\/p>\n In other words, since all couples come with baggage, it’s essential to openly discuss emotional triggers, past experiences, and trust issues early on in your relationship. This open dialogue will serve to strengthen your bond when inevitable doubts or breaches of trust arise.<\/span><\/p>\n Emotional intimacy and trust go hand in hand, and securely attached couples can express their needs and preferences.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the surefire ways to make your partner feel loved is to increase desire and sensuality in your relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n Likewise, daily rituals such as touching, good eye contact, listening, and talking about their experiences, will allow partners to be emotionally close and to express more sensuality in their marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>What makes a relationship work?<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Ways to feel immediately closer to your partner<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Ways](\"https:\/\/image.marriage.com\/advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Tantric-Love-Techniques-You-Can-Try-at-Home.jpg\" "\\"Ways")
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