This is the core of intimacy, partners feeling seen and accepted for who they are, and each knowing what is important to the other. My initial confusion as a Gottman therapist about the Meaning component gave way to a simple awareness about the importance of partners communicating love by asking and listening to the right questions.
How do successful couples create consistent emotional closeness, enduring patterns of love and intimacy? We have learned a lot from the Gottman research about what works in happy relationships, and we know what reliably predicts distressed relationships.
We have learned from research the fastest and most effective way to build trust in a relationship. Before getting to the bottom line on building trust, let’s set the stage. You may have heard the expression, “Relationships are complex”. I imagine most people would agree with that statement. In any relationship there are inevitably going to be times when partners feel confused about what just happened in an interaction that went south.
