8 stages of love -repost

The Eight Stages of Intimacy (with each stage and link)

[To achieve a successful relationship] 

 [ This is a long post so I am going to separate it into 8 different days or sections which talk about the individual 8 stages of how a relationship is created into intimacy (not sexual) (this wasn't written by me)  and then link them all together]

[Italics is my writing -FYI]

Is your relationship everything you ever hoped for? Does it feel like something is missing or maybe it’s just note quite what you are looking for? Do your romances crash and burn before six months?
The following illustrates the eight different stages of intimacy. With your life partner, achievement of at least seven of the eight leads to relationship success. With friends, coworkers and associates, you’ll match in some, but not all.

TO ACHIEVE TRUE INTIMACY, TWO IDEAS MUST BE PRESENT: SAFETY & CONNECTEDNESS

SAFETY means that as the relationship grows between two people. Should something frighten, upset or threaten you, your partner becomes the safe haven, the person you seek rather than avoid. Safety is something a person earns through trust and actions.
CONNECTEDNESS or more commonly chemistry is that feeling that you are in tune with the other person; you have enough common ground to feel comfortable yet enough differences to keep things interesting. True intimacy cannot be achieved without feelings of safety and feelings of connectedness.

If you're just starting to date again, and are tired of unfulfilling relationships and short-term romances (less than six months), the eight stages will help you achieve a loving relationship by giving you a step by step guide to dating. Make a commitment to yourself to explore each stage in-depth with a potential mate before proceeding to the next. Most superficial relationships will fall apart during stages four through six, the very stages most people skip in order to experiment in seven. Then they wonder why the relationship didn't last! When you finish this article, you may be enlightened
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1. Physical Intimacy (Looks, etiquette, charisma)  (Stage 1)
2. Aesthetic Intimacy (Arts, style, Culture, General Compatibility)  (Stage 2)
3. Recreational Intimacy (Shared interests, sports & Hobbies) (Stage 3)
4. Intellectual Intimacy (Hopes, fears, opinions, beliefs) (Stage 4)
5. Spiritual Intimacy (Morality, Ethics, shares Existence, & Shared Goals) (Stage 5)
6. Emotional Intimacy (Feelings, Trust, Security, Safety)  (Stage 6)

7. Sexual Intimacy (Touching, sexual liberation, Physical contact, Romance, Copulation & procreation) (Stage 7)

8. Unconditional Love (Love & Support without Strings, Expectations and Regrets) (Stage 8)

 
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CONCLUSION

The Stages of Intimacy are a guide.  Relationships like most elements within each of our lives are dynamic.  At times your relationship will have all or most of the stages present. At times one or several may fall to the wayside.  The best way to use the stages is as a checklist for yourself.  If your relationship seems to be faltering, stagnant or unfulfilling, reviewing the stages will help you pinpoint the problem.  Once you identify the problem,you have the ability to solve it.
If you are dating and looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right, the stages are invaluable.  First, they will make you postpone sexuality until you can satisfy your curiosity about a mate through 6 stages.  Secondly, they will allow you to isolate poor relationships objectively as you venture into each new stage.  Most  divorces and poor relationships could have been avoided through the stages.  What many find out about each other over years, a savvy dater can discover within six to seven months, well before I do becomes I don't.
Through the stages, you can avoid heartache by helping yourself discover what is missing and what is causing problems.  Stick with the stages and you will gain satisfaction, love and a close intimate relationship unlike anything you've ever experienced.  -END-

 The eight Stages of Intimacy by Laura Lewis