Intimacy — emotional, physical, or sexual — often evokes profound longings as well as deep anxieties. For many, closeness to another person stirs unconscious conflicts tied to trust, vulnerability, and self-worth. These conflicts may manifest as avoidance, difficulty sustaining relationships, fears of engulfment, or compulsive patterns that substitute true connection with fleeting encounters.

In psychoanalytic work, intimacy issues are not treated merely as surface symptoms to “fix,” but as meaningful signals pointing toward formative relational experiences. Together, we examine how early attachments — the bonds and ruptures with primary caregivers — shape present-day patterns of closeness and distance. Unspoken fears of being hurt, rejected, abandoned, or overwhelmed often underlie struggles to maintain satisfying relationships.

Through the analytic relationship itself, old relational templates come alive in the transference. This unique aspect of psychoanalysis allows us to observe, in real time, how one defends against longing or closeness, and to gently loosen rigid protective strategies. Over time, this fosters an expanded capacity to tolerate genuine intimacy — with oneself and with others.

​

Common Experiences in Intimacy Difficulties

• Fear of dependency or losing oneself in a relationship

• Repeated attraction to emotionally unavailable partners

• Patterns of infidelity or compulsive sexual behavior

• Difficulty with sexual expression or desire

• Emotional numbness or avoidance of vulnerability

• Anxiety when closeness deepens

​

Cultivating the Capacity for Closeness

Working psychoanalytically, we create a secure and reflective space in which these patterns can be understood and transformed. This is not about forcing change, but rather uncovering what unconscious fears and defenses once protected you — and exploring how they may now limit your freedom to love and be loved.

For many, this work allows intimacy to become less fraught and more nourishing. It opens the possibility of deeper connection, authentic sexual expression, and more stable, satisfying partnerships

​