Emotional & Physical Intimacy

I had read and learned about a lot of interesting and fascinating research about emotional and physical intimacy this week. Today, I would like to pull information from a scholarly journal, “Sexuality”, from Lauer, Chapter 4.

One of the most important ways to connect with our spouse through marriage is by emotional and physical intimacy. This can be a very challenging concept and topic for newly married couples to get used to, because it is a whole new environment and new way of living that they’ve never experienced together before. There are many challenges that the couple may face when they are newly married that they must now work out together. It can be awkward for both the spouses to be openly intimate with each other. Physically, it may be uncomfortable for either spouse and it may take some time to adjust to being vulnerable with showing off their body to their spouse. Unseen challenges may arise in their physical intimacy, including health problems, physical discomfort or pain, or dysfunctions with bodily functions that could result in problems with sexual intercourse. Likewise, couples must now adjust to being completely open and vulnerable with their emotions with each other. You must set and adjust to new family boundaries and rely completely on one another. And yet, emotional and physical intimacy are crucial aspects to a healthy family relationship. They provide opportunities for growth, communication, deeper love, and many aspects that increase the relationship between the couple.

Intimacy is a beautiful and sacred thing that is shared solely between the spouses. There are many differences between males and females that contribute to the intimate relationship. For example, males sexual anatomy is mainly exterior, whereas females sexual anatomy is interior. It takes longer for females to get aroused than it does males. Males climax in their sexual intercourse much faster than females do, resulting in a longer refractory period. What’s important is that both the males and the females should be giving and understanding of each other and their needs.

Most importantly, it is important to note that the couple should work things out together. The problem with looking things up on the internet or getting information about physical intimacy from wrong sources is that there is a common theme and danger involved with this information. Physical intimacy should be a sacred and powerful experience that should be shared between you and your spouse. Newly married couples will have to communicate, experiment, and try things out together, but this is okay, and is also a way that couples can strengthen their emotional intimacy with each other. The couple will learn to match the needs and the wants of their spouse.

Finally, there is a lot of power that comes from a husband and wife that are physically and emotionally intimate with solely each other. There are psychologically proven damages that come to a husband and wife when they are sexually active with multiple partners. For example, women release chemicals, oxytocin, when they are having sex with their partner. Oxytocin in a powerful chemical that attaches the woman to the man. Because of this attachment, there can be a lot of hurt and damage done when the couple is not committed to each other. In fact, the more sexually active the woman is with multiple partners, the more likely she will be to be chemically depressed. Having an intimate bond with your spouse, and your spouse only, is crucial.

All this being said, intimacy is an important, and even crucial, part of being married. But we should not focus solely on the sexual part of our marriage. The most important part about being married is learning to love, serve, and grow closer together as a couple. Learning to deepen our love with each other and work together as spouses and as parents will be what deepens the relationship bond the most and increases our level of friendship with each other.

I look forward to applying this information into my future life when I get married. I believe that this will be a great way to increase my future relationship with my spouse and have a healthier marriage.