When we hear the word intimacy, all sorts of images maybe conjured up in our minds.  The word intimacy may stimulate a visual image of sexual encounters, or it may project an idea of deeply fostered relationships, but the truth is, intimacy can occur on the most primitive of levels.  Yet, the types of intimacy vary depending upon the depths of the relationship in question.

WHAT IS INTIMACY?

Intimacy is the ability to share an emotional and physical connection with another.  Such connections can occur between couples, friends, families, and within a variety of relationships.  Intimacy involves a level of cohesion that unites the very essence of our person.  It is a connection that can occur on the very basic of human emotions, conditions, and attractiveness.  

Intimacy occurs when we have a bond between ourselves and another person.  Intimacy does not have to occur on a sexual level alone, it can occur between persons who are simply seeking to be connected.  We can be intimate through our verbal and nonverbal gestures, facial expressions, touch, and through the words we choose to use. 

Again, it is important to recognize that it can occur beyond a couple’s relationship, it can occur through friendships, familial relationships and through a variety of close knit avenues and environments. 

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