Understanding Our Fears of Physical Intimacy
In The Inner Child Workbook, Cathryn Taylor says that many of us are still deeply affected by unmet needs from our infancy; a time when we were totally dependent on our caregivers. She points to five potential issues from infancy that we may face difficulty with as adults: 1. Fear of intimacy, because it could lead to abandonment 2. Needing physical affection, but being afraid to receive it 3. The need for oral gratification (eating, drinking, smoking, etc.) 4. Fear of acknowledging our needs because others may not meet them 5. The inability to trust It seems to me that these five areas of concern are all deeply intertwined. Most every codependent I’ve ever talked with has a fear of intimacy that is tied to a fear of abandonment. We want phys...