ABSTRACT
Intimacy is a sense of closeness and connection with another. e rst image of intimacy that comes to mind is the intimacy of a couple. e woman and her husband or partner come together because they feel deeply connected and committed to each other, and they cement their bond as they care for their child. e rst experience of intimacy happens between infant and mother, a pair who have had 9 months to relate to each other before birth and months of close physical dependency aerward, all of which creates a strong foundation for feeling connected. As the infant communicates with the mother and meets her response, the infant feels protected and understood. e mother feels in tune with her infant and becomes a mother. e mother’s husband or partner supports their intimacy and reaches into their circle to form a bond with the infant too and becomes a father or second mother. ey all have intimacy. Husbands and wives, partners, mothers and babies all want to have that special feeling. Patient and therapist, teacher and student may have a kind of emotional and intellectual intimacy, but it can never have the depth of connection that grows with love that includes physical and sexual interaction. On the other hand, being part of a couple does not mean that you automatically
have intimacy. Some people cannot achieve intimacy with their partners, no matter how hard they try, and some avoid it out of fear or disgust.
