Synopsis
Intimacy is difficult.
Most of us have no problem sharing a curated version of ourselves with our spouse—carefully selected parts that we know will be accepted, valued, and appreciated. But real intimacy requires much more than that. Real intimacy means we share the not-so-loveable parts of ourselves– all the good along with the flaws and imperfections.
Marriage is a remarkable, growth-promoting commitment—because who we are, including our limited ability to love another, is reflected back to us through our spouse. And this isn’t usually comfortable. But, when we stay open to the truths that our marriage exposes, we can expand our capacity to love as well as our ability to be open and intimate with another.
In this NEW podcast episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Dr. Dave and Dr. Liz of the Stronger Marriage Connection podcast to discuss how couples can work through conflict and develop a greater capacity for both sexual and emotional intimacy.
Listen to the full episode to learn more about:
-Reframing the way you think about marital conflict
-Working through sexual desire differences
-The important distinction between seeking love and being loving
-Important findings from Dr. Finlayson-Fife’s dissertation research
-Perfectionism
-The connection between truth and joy
-Important keys to creating a stronger marital connection
The advice offered through Dr. Finlayson-Fife’s Podcast Archive is educational and informational in nature and is provided only as general information. It is not meant to establish a therapist-patient relationship or offer therapeutic advice, opinion, diagnosis treatment or to establish a standard of care. Although Dr. Finlayson-Fife is a trained psychotherapist, she is not functioning in the role of a licensed therapist during these sessions, but rather using her training to inform these sessions. Thus, the content is not intended to replace independent professional judgment. The content is not intended to solicit clients or patients; and should not be relied upon as medical or psychological advice of any kind or nature whatsoever. The information provided through the Content should not be used for diagnosing or treating a mental health problem or disease. The information contained in these communications is not comprehensive and does not include all the potential information regarding the subject matter, but is merely intended to serve as one resource for general and educational purposes.