Do YOU have true emotional intimacy in your relationships? Psychologist reveals 8 signs

Do YOU have emotional intimacy in your relationships? Psychologist reveals 8 signs you’re closely bonded with your partner

A psychologist has revealed eight signs you have true emotional intimacy in relationships.

Birmingham-based chartered psychologist Dr Lalitaa Suglani, who offers courses on topics including managing anxiety, overcoming fear, imposter syndrome, took to Instagram to share information on the topic in a recent post.

The signs include holding respect for each other, and being comfortable with being vulnerable and imperfect. 

Accompanying the list of eight signs was an extensive caption in which Dr Lalitaa discussed relationships.  

The psychologist pointed out that the examples of emotional intimacy that she shared are ‘very broad’.

Do you have true emotional intimacy in your relationships? A clinical psychologist has outlined the eight signs (stock image)

She added that examples of emotional intimacy will ‘differ in different relationships’.   

‘We often find emotional intimacy is not set out, but develops with the relationship and this can change as your relationship transitions,’ Dr Lalitaa explained.

She also spoke about great relationships in her caption, and what makes them so good.  

‘Great relationships aren’t great because there are no problems,’ wrote the psychologist.

Dr Lalitaa’s 8 signs of emotional intimacy 

1. You feel genuinely seen and understood.

2. You encourage and support each other to grow.

3. Your autonomy is celebrated.

4. You are comfortable being vulnerable and imperfect.

5. You feel safe sharing difficult emotions and/or experiences.

6. You are at ease with silence and giving each other space.

7. You hold each other accountable.

8. You hold respect for each other.

‘They’re great because both people care enough about the other person to make it work.’

The American Psychological Association described intimacy as characterising ‘close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationships’.

It says intimacy ‘requires the parties to have a detailed knowledge or deep understanding of each other’.

According to Dr Lalitaa, there are multiple signs that you have true emotional intimacy in your relationship with someone.

Listing eight of them, she started with outlining how one sign of emotional intimacy in a relationship can be feeling genuinely seen and understood.

Moving onto her second point, the psychologist lists encouraging and supporting each other to grow.

Similarly, her third point is that within such a relationship, your autonomy is celebrated. 

Fourth on the list was being comfortable being vulnerable and imperfect. 

Meanwhile, the fifth point was feeling safe sharing difficult emotions and/or experiences.

Being at ease with silence and giving each other space was another sign of emotional intimacy, according to the psychologist.

Holding each other accountable was the penultimate point on the list.

Lastly, she said, holding respect for each other is another sign of true emotional intimacy in a relationship.

Taking to the comments section, people shared their own thoughts on the post, as well as their experiences of emotional intimacy.

People took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the post Dr Lalitaa shared on emotional intimacy

People took to the comments section to share their thoughts on the post Dr Lalitaa shared on emotional intimacy

One wrote: ‘Celebrating each others autonomy is such an important part of a healthy relationship, by allowing each other to grow in their own way.’

Another agreed with Dr Lalitaa that emotional intimacy involves respect for the other person in the relationship.

They said: ‘You respect and trust one another through everything.’



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