Intimacy = Into-me-see. Sums it up so succinctly, doesn’t it?
Intimacy is about allowing others in. It’s about letting them truly see and know every part of us so that they can be with ALL of us, not just the parts we’ve been programmed to believe are loveable or acceptable. This can be terrifying…..in fact, there is likely nothing scarier than letting someone in, especially if we’re operating from an emotional blueprint that associates closeness with danger or rejection (because at some point in our lives this may have been the case). So it can be a bumpy ride, and it’s a process. And we will make mistakes, guaranteed.
But the bumps are worth it. Because there is nothing more healing than letting others hold and love the parts of us that we’ve relegated to our emotional “basement”, the parts of us that are sometimes so painful we deny they even exist (and ironically, the more we shove them down, the more shame we typically pile on top).
When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable with others and we’re held and loved, instead of rejected and scorned…….it’s a corrective, healing experience. We’re literally re-wiring our systems, creating new neural pathways (this is a good thing) and re-writing an ending to our story.