What you may not know about intimacy

Intimacy isn’t just about physical closeness or sexual connection — though those can certainly be part of it. 

True intimacy is actually about emotional closeness. 

It’s the feeling that you can reveal your inner world - your thoughts, desires, fears, and vulnerabilities - and know that you’ll be met with understanding and acceptance.

Intimacy means:

  • Feeling emotionally safe to share what’s real without fear of judgment.

  • Trusting that your partner can hold your truth even when it’s messy.

  • Experiencing a sense of connection and closeness that goes beyond words.

It’s that moment when your partner looks at you and you know they really see you - not just the version you present to the world, but the deeper, more complex truth of who you are.

Creating intimacy isn’t about luck or chemistry — it’s about building the right foundation. A truly intimate relationship requires:

1. Emotional Safety

Knowing you can express your feelings, desires, and fears without being criticized, judged, or dismissed. Emotional safety allows you to take the risk of vulnerability, which is the heart of intimacy.

2. Authentic Communication

Open, honest communication is essential—expressing your needs and boundaries clearly. It also means you can hear your partner’s truth without defensiveness. Intimacy grows when both partners feel heard and valued.

3. Empathy and Repair

No relationship is without conflict. What matters is how you handle it. Intimacy deepens when you know that even if you hurt each other, you can come back together with care and understanding. The ability to repair after conflict — to take accountability and offer comfort — builds trust over time.

4. Mutual Desire and Exploration

Intimacy includes physical connection, but it’s not about “performing” or meeting expectations. It’s about exploring together — sharing fantasies, trying new things, and allowing each other to express your full erotic selves without fear or shame.

Building intimacy isn’t just about having the right communication tools — it’s about feeling safe enough to open up. That’s where somatic work comes in.

As a somatic sex and relationship coach, I help you:

✅ Identify the emotional and physical barriers that are keeping you from intimacy.
✅ Heal the underlying wounds that make vulnerability feel unsafe.
✅ Develop deeper emotional safety in your relationship through nervous system regulation and embodied practices.
✅ Explore new ways to create emotional and sexual closeness.

Through a combination of embodied exercises, communication coaching, and emotional repair work, you’ll learn how to open up more fully — and feel safe doing it.

You don’t have to settle for surface-level connection or emotional distance. 

True intimacy — where you feel seen, known, and deeply connected — is possible when you create the safety and trust needed to open up.

✨ You deserve to feel seen and loved for exactly who you are. ✨

Odelia Shargian