In part 1 of this series Physical intimacy is as important as emotional intimacy for a lasting relationship with your partner. Physical intimacy makes a couple continue to want to love and be loved by their partners, and no relationship can survive without it for long. But in my practice as a relationship counselor, I see a number of couples struggling with physical intimacy in their relationships. In Part 2 of this series, I’ll be sharing some effective ways in which you can improve physical intimacy in a relationship and increase the sense of connectedness with your partner.

Just like a relationship needs emotional intimacy, it also requires physical intimacy to remain strong and lasting. In fact, there’s a direct correlation between relationship satisfaction and the quality of a couple's physical relationship, and the longer a couple avoids physical intimacy, the more disconnected they can feel. In Part 1 of this series, I’ll be exploring the importance of physical intimacy for couples and how it contributes to improving the quality of a relationship.

Validating each other’s feelings and experiences is incredibly important for a couple in a relationship. But as a relationship counselor, when I discuss with my clients how they can validate one another, I often find that most couples aren’t sure how to really go about it. In Part 2 of this series, I’ll be discussing a few key components of validation and how you can effectively validate your partner’s feelings.

Successful couple relationships have one thing in common - both partners share their real thoughts, feelings and desires and really hear each other. This is called validation. In Part 1 of this series, I’ll be discussing the importance of validating your partner’s feelings and how a validating style of interacting together can help you build trust and intimacy for a lasting relationship.

In Part 1 of this series, we saw how intimate relationships can bring meaning and purpose to our lives. But achieving individual growth within a relationship can be tricky, or even difficult and painful. As a relationship counselor, I often get clients who have failed to grow in a relationship in spite of having invested a lot of themselves in maintaining romance and intimacy. In Part 2 of this series, I’ll be discussing why some people feel they cannot grow in certain types of intimate relationships and what they should do about it.

Relationships are necessary in life not just for emotional and physical health, but also for individual growth, or “thriving,” throughout life. Apart from helping people to cope with stress or adversity, relationships also help them in their efforts to achieve individual growth by learning, exploring, meeting goals, cultivating new talents, and finding purpose and meaning in life. In Part 1 of this series, I’ll be taking a look at how a positive relationship can help individuals grow and flourish.