Intimacy between husband and wife can be a very sacred
thing. However, intimacy doesn’t necessarily mean being sexual. There are so
many ways we can be intimate with our spouses without it having to lead
anywhere, and this is important because sex isn’t all that a marriage is about.
After all, intimate = “into my mate” J
This week we made lists of
challenges and opportunities that intimacy presents for a couple. There are
some big challenges that can happen, especially when there is miscommunication between
couples. When you are married, it is very important to communicate your needs
with your spouse, because if you don’t it can lead to expectations that may not
be met.
Often what can happen, is one
person expects any romantic gesture to lead to sex, and the other person may
not realize it. This then leads to conflict between the couple, and
miscommunicated feelings such as feeling like your husband/wife does not love
you as much as you would like them to, or you may not get the reassurance you
need.
Going back to intimacy without sex,
there are many ways that a couple can be intimate, and not only in the bedroom.
Simple things just ass cuddling at night before bed, and holding hands, going to
do something that you both enjoy together, or many other things. Irwin M. Fletcher
gave some great steps that we can follow to teach us how to be intimate without
sex:
1.
Get rid of the pressure:
make sure you are both on the same page.
2.
Ask each other what you are
looking for when it comes to intimacy.
3.
Find another physical way
to show one another that you love each other.
4.
Create intimate moments
(such as those listed above).
5.
Don’t expect anything in
return (as mentioned before, cutting out the expectations).
Being intimate with your spouse
without having sex can bring lots of opportunities and benefits to the marriage.
It can bring you closer to one another, and help you get to know each other on
a deeper level. You can get positive, verbal affirmations and reassurances of
love, and altogether it creates unification between you and your spouse.
Resources:
Irwin M. Fletcher, How to Have
Intimacy Without Sex
No comments:
Post a Comment