It is often the central theme of couples therapy, but it does not receive the attention it deserves. A love life that starts to lose its spark can trigger a wide variety of negative emotions, including fear, anger, anxiety, and resentment. In fact, a love life in peril often represents the primary reason why other factors of a relationship between couples begin to deteriorate.
Couples therapy represents a specific type of therapy that explores the fundamental issues that cause conflict. This type of family therapy focuses on many aspects of building strong relationships, such as improving communication skills and deciding to spend more quality time with each other. However, when it comes to the issue of our love lives, it can be extremely difficult to reveal enough information that helps restore a healthy, intimate relationship.
Nonetheless, couples therapy has the potential to rejuvenate your love life.
Recognizing When Your Relationship Changes Dynamics
Long-term relationships among couples, especially married couples, often slowly change dynamics. What was once a healthy, intimate relationship has changed into more of a “Let’s be friends” relationship dynamic. You cannot expect to reap the rewards of couples therapy unless you and your partner are aware enough to discover your once intimate relationship has found the “friends zone.”
Sometimes, losing intimacy simply develops over time. In other cases, a loss of intimacy can be caused by one or more underlying significant issues.
Communication is the Key
As with other issues that cause relationship riffs between partners, losing your love life requires a commitment to communicating all concerns. Although it is relatively easy to say, “My spouse works too much” or “My spouse does not take family finances seriously,” it is more difficult to admit that the spark has gone out of your physical relationship. The reason for the reluctance to share details of your love life revolves around the issue of trusting your therapist.
They say familiarity breeds contempt, but that is not the case with a therapist who specializes in providing couples therapy support. To get to the root cause or causes as to why you and your partner have lost the spark of intimacy, you should meet with a therapist that you already have met with to address other relationship issues. Trusting your couples therapist to keep what you share confidential is critical to achieving the goal of rejuvenating your love life.
How Can Couples Therapy Address Intimacy Issues?
Couples therapy can return your relationship to the intimacy both partners enjoyed before you both lost that loving feeling. Your therapist helps move the process along by asking important questions, such as do you know why there has emerged a difference in sexual desire? Is body image and/or self-esteem problems the reason why your love life has taken a turn for the worse? Are there significant differences in the sexual response cycles between both partners?
Your therapist is going to help you discover the answers to these and many more important questions in the most helpful and constructive manner.