Communication About Intimacy

Why We Don’t Talk About It

Sex is often the hardest thing for couples to discuss—even couples who talk openly about everything else. Even couples who have been together for decades.

The reasons are layered:

Vulnerability: Talking about what we want sexually exposes us in ways that feel dangerous. What if we’re rejected? What if our desires are too much, too strange, too little?

Shame: Many of us carry inherited shame about sexuality that makes speaking openly feel almost physically impossible.

Fear of hurting: We don’t want to imply our partner isn’t enough, hasn’t been doing it right, has failed us somehow.

Assumption of mind-reading: After years together, we expect our partner to know what we want without being told. When they don’t, it feels like proof they don’t care.

So we stay silent. And the silence creates distance.

What Silence Costs

When you can’t talk about intimacy:

Problems don’t get solved; they accumulate
Resentment builds on both sides
Assumptions fill the gap where information should be
Each partner feels increasingly alone
Physical intimacy becomes fraught or disappears entirely

Many couples in sexless or sex-starved relationships aren’t there because they stopped loving each other. They’re there because they couldn’t talk about what was happening, and the silence calcified into avoidance.

Starting the Conversation

If you haven’t talked about intimacy in a long time (or ever), starting feels enormous. A few principles help:

Choose the Right Moment

Not in bed. Not right after a rejection. Not when you’re angry or your partner is stressed.

The car can be good—side by side, not face to face. A walk works similarly. Somewhere private, calm, with no immediate pressure.

Lead with Your Experience

“I’ve been feeling disconnected from you physically” lands differently than “You never touch me anymore.”

Starting with “I” keeps the conversation in the realm of sharing rather than blaming. You’re offering your experience, not an indictment.

Be Specific, Not Global

“I’d love it if you’d kiss my neck more” is actionable. “I wish you were more passionate” is vague and feels like criticism.

The more specific you can be about what you want (and what’s working), the more your partner has to work with.

Expect Discomfort

This will feel awkward. Your partner may get defensive. You may not resolve everything in one conversation.

That’s okay. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s beginning to talk. Each conversation makes the next one easier.

Talking About Changes

Hormonal transitions, aging, health issues, medication side effects—all of these can change sexual function and desire. These changes need to be named.

“Since menopause, I need more time to get aroused. It’s not that I don’t want you.”

“The medication I’m on has affected my libido. I’m still attracted to you, but my body isn’t responding the way it used to.”

Your partner can’t adapt to what they don’t know is happening. And without information, they’ll fill in the blanks with their own fears: You don’t find them attractive. You’ve lost interest. Something is wrong with the relationship.

Talking About Desire Discrepancy

Mismatched desire is one of the most common intimacy challenges—and one of the hardest to discuss.

The partner who wants more sex often feels rejected, undesirable, frustrated. The partner who wants less often feels pressured, guilty, inadequate.

Both positions are painful. And the way couples typically handle it—the higher-desire partner pursuing, the lower-desire partner withdrawing—makes everything worse.

Breaking this pattern requires both partners to:

Acknowledge the difficulty on both sides. Neither position is comfortable.
Separate desire from love. Lower desire doesn’t mean loving less.
Expand the definition of intimacy. If sex means only intercourse, options narrow. If it includes touching, massage, manual stimulation, oral sex, or simply physical closeness—there’s more room for connection.
Find a sustainable rhythm. This might mean the higher-desire partner initiates less and the lower-desire partner initiates more. It might mean scheduled intimacy (which sounds unromantic but actually works). It means finding what’s sustainable for both.

Receiving Your Partner’s Truth

If your partner opens up about their needs, desires, or dissatisfaction—this is a gift, even if it’s hard to hear.

Try to:

Listen without defending
Ask clarifying questions
Thank them for telling you
Take time to process before responding

A partner who tells you what they need is a partner who still believes the relationship can meet those needs. That’s hope, not criticism.

When You’re Stuck

Sometimes couples can’t have these conversations alone. Too much history, too much hurt, too many failed attempts.

A skilled couples therapist or sex therapist can provide the container for conversations that feel impossible to have on your own. This isn’t failure—it’s wisdom about what you need.

Go Deeper

These are the original writings this entry draws from: