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Making
Your Marriage Meaningful!
Exercise # 1
Dream a Little Dream With Me
(A visioning exercise for couples)
Schedule a time with your partner,
complete with your favorite snacks and beverages. Working
together as a couple:
- Name 4 things that you would
highlight as being important components of your past life
together ( i.e. dating, travel, child raising, romance).
- Name 4 things that are key
components of your present life together (i.e. study, child
raising, establishing a home, sports, music).
- Name 4 things that are part
of your vision for your future life together ( i.e. travel,
raising children, career you love, community service, theatre,
health and fitness).
- Construct a collage with pictures
and words from old magazines or write a short story that
depicts each phase of your couple life.
Materials:
old magazines, glue, scissors, pen and paper, construction
paper cut in a rectangle 12”high x the width of the
sheet.
Instructions:
Fold construction paper in three and label the sections: Past,
Present, Future. Put this photo collage or story on display
as a reminder of what you’ve accomplished as a couple
and where you’re headed. Use it as a map for future
planning sessions to accomplish your goals and keep conversation
flowing. |
Exercise # 2
Movie Night
(An intimacy building exercise for couples)
Suggested video: “Forget Paris” (Billy Crystal/Debra
Winger)
Setting the Stage...
Set aside a night when both of you are able
to relax, put your feet up and not have to leave the house.
Order in a pizza or work together to prepare a fun, no-fuss
meal or evening snack. Ideally this is a time when other family
members are asleep or otherwise taken care of and you won’t
be disturbed. Try not to leave it too late in the evening
so that you both still have energy to talk about the film
after you have seen it. You may in fact want to view the video
a couple of times; one to enjoy the plot and one to complete
the exercise.
The Exercise...
We can become discouraged about the quality
of our marital relationships when we limit our understanding
of intimacy to only physical connection. The couple in the
video depict a wide range of intimate behaviors. Many of these
you and your spouse will already be enjoying...others you
may wish to add to your repertoire.
Type of Intimacy |
Video
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In Our Marriage
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Emotional Intimacy:
sharing of significant meanings and feelings |
_______ |
_______ |
Intellectual Intimacy:
sharing ideas, mind-stretching experiences |
_______ |
_______ |
Sexual Intimacy:
sharing self-abandon in the merging of two persons |
_______ |
_______ |
Aesthetic Intimacy:
sharing experiences of beauty: art, music, nature |
_______ |
_______ |
Creative Intimacy:
sharing the co-creation, growth of each other |
_______ |
_______ |
Recreational Intimacy:
sharing in fun and play, rejuvenation |
_______ |
_______ |
Work Intimacy:
sharing responsibilities and joining strengths |
_______ |
_______ |
Crises Intimacy:
sharing the buffeting of fate, standing together |
_______ |
_______ |
Commitment Intimacy:
sharing common self-investment, trust |
_______ |
_______ |
Spiritual Intimacy:
sharing a grounding, growing faith |
_______ |
_______ |
Communication Intimacy:
sharing self: honesty, truth, feedback |
_______ |
_______ |
Conflict Intimacy:
sharing differences and their inherent struggles |
_______ |
_______ |
(Adapted from “Marital Intimacy
Check up”. Clinebell and Clinebell, 1970) |
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