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