What is intimacy

Intimacy, in general, refers to the level of proximity between two people. It requires vulnerability, openness, and trust.

Getting intimate with someone else on one level doesn’t necessarily guarantee intimacy in other aspects.

Whether it’s your relationship with your parents, significant other, friends, or employers

What Is Intimacy Avoidance( fear of intimacy)?

Being vulnerable and reaching out to connect with others takes courage and trust. However, for some people, risking the potential pain of rejection or abuse is much more difficult than it is for others, sometimes even becoming pathological. Just as sexual acting out can take over one’s mind and behavior, the compulsive avoidance of intimacy can become an obsession that dominates one’s life.

Due to past experiences, some people have a visceral fear of letting down their walls and trusting anyone enough to let them get close emotionally, spiritually, or sometimes even physically. They avoid intimacy by preventing or sabotaging activities that cultivate closeness and connection with self or others. Intimacy avoidance is described as “behavior that serves to avoid or block sexual, emotional, or spiritual intimacy with others, ourselves, or our Higher Power” (Recovery from Compulsive Sexual Avoidance).

Instead of tuning in to their feelings, for example, a person can disconnect from their emotions by denying, stuffing, or medicating them. Rather than be fully present in their bodies, many prefer to live in fantasy by reading novels or magazines, binge-watching television, or continuously using their imaginations to escape what is happening around them. They may even do this to the extent that they ignore bodily needs such as food, rest, and other self-care requirements. People may avoid intimacy with others by staying at home for days or refusing to answer the phone.

Signs of intimacy avoidance(Signs you have fear of intimacy)
Several signs can indicate that you or someone you know may have (fear of intimacy) intimacy avoidance. Here are some signs to watch out for:

1* Sabotaging Relationships

Someone with a fear of intimacy (intimacy avoidance )may sabotage their relationships with others. Some might avoid maintaining relationships, pull back from conflicts, or hold back from being emotionally close to the other person. Others may react intensely to situations, such as being controlling or overly critical, using guilt on their partner to express hurt, or being clingy. Click to continue reading
https://uwagood.com/2022/09/20/intimacy-avoidancehow-to-cope-with-someone-who-has-intimacy-avoidance-fear-of-intimacy/