5 Tips for How to Help a Man With Intimacy Issues
Relationships can feel like a hazardous minefield to negotiate, even at the best of times. If you look at some of the statistics surrounding them, it doesn’t get much better. Almost 50% of people in a relationship are unhappy!
If you’re struggling with your male partner, then you need to know how to help a man with intimacy issues.
We’ve got a few tips that can help you navigate these issues and begin to resolve some of the more problematic ones.
1. Be Honest and Direct
A man with intimacy issues may shy away from a conversation with heavy emotions. One approach you can take is being direct and honest in a non-confrontational way.
By presenting your feelings in as cold and factual a fashion as possible, you make the issue of intimacy an easier conversation to approach.
2. Always Listen to the Clues
One of the most significant contributors to solving any problem in a relationship is empathy. Sometimes solving complicated interpersonal issues requires you to take a back seat and listen.
You can learn a lot from the little things said and done. No matter how insignificant a pattern of behavior may seem, it can be a clue to an overarching problem. It might not solve intimacy issues immediately, but it will put you on the right path.
3. Improve Trust
For both men and women, being intimate requires a lot of trust in a partner. It doesn’t matter whether that intimacy is physical or emotional. The same principles always apply.
Almost all of us will have experienced somebody in our lives who have had these problems sharing intimacy.
The root causes of intimacy issues are related to trust, but these issues can become complex and tangled very quickly. Being in an intimate relationship with a physical connection like sex only exacerbates these issues.
Try doing some trust exercises to build rapport and encourage his ability to rely on someone else.
4. Deal With “Mommy Issues”
In particular, a problem trusting women can be linked to an issue commonly referred to as “mommy issues.” It’s one of the most common causes of struggles with intimacy in men.
This is a tricky problem to deal with, as it can take shape in a reluctance to engage in physical intimacy and emotional intimacy. Take a look at this if you need some more advice.
5. Seek Professional Help
Abuse and self-esteem are two of the most common culprits in men with intimacy issues. Any childhood trauma is also a potential roadblock to making genuine emotional connections.
Problems like this are best approached with the help of a therapist. Usually, discussing these issues with your partner is a healthy thing to do. But if the problems are deep-rooted in childhood trauma, they may need a controlled setting to find a resolution.
How to Help a Man with Intimacy Issues
There’s going to be no one-size-fits-all solution on how to help a man with intimacy issues. Like all problems in a relationship, it will require hard work and patience to resolve. The important thing is that you persevere if you wish for the relationship to succeed.
It can be a long journey, but it’s not impossible to make. You can read on and arm yourself with more knowledge for the road to healthy, recovered intimacy right here on the blog.
