Open Relationships – Is It Really For You?

The open relationship is a very unique one that goes beyond the traditional monogamous relationship or marriage. Basically, in an open relationship both partners are free to have sexual relations with other partners of their choosing. Both individuals in the open relationship are fully aware of what the other is doing and accept this. Needless to say for an open relationship to work, both partners must have an amazing level of trust with one another. Open Relationships are not for everyone and nor should they be.

For an open relationship to be successful, a number of factors must come into play. First and foremost, like I’ve already stated, there must be a very strong level of trust and honesty among primary partners. You have to be so comfortable with both your partner as well as yourself that you will not become jealous in knowing your partner is having sex with someone other than yourself. You must also trust your partner will partake in safe sex practices with their other partners, to ensure that they don’t bring home a sexually transmitted disease to you.

Both primary partners must be able to talk open and honestly with each other, about everything and anything that is on their mind. Don’t lie. Have open, honest conversations with your partner about anything that makes you uneasy. Your partner must know what you’re thinking and feeling about any given situation. Secrets can destroy your open relationship – just as any relationship.

It is also important to remember to keep your primary partner number one in your heart. Strong emotional connections can often accompany sex, and it’s vital to be aware of this. If you begin to develop a strong emotional bond with one of your other partners, you must end the relationship with that partner immediately, or risk permanent damage to your own primary relationship.

Some people will want to know whom their primary partner is sleeping with, while others would rather simply not know. This is totally up to the individual, but should be decided upon during the initial discussions prior to beginning your open relationship.

Another thing to keep in mind is to keep the specific sexual details out of the discussion. Your primary partner will not want to know the dirty little details (unless they’re into that sorta thing) of your sexual adventures beyond him or her. Granted, if you do learn something new share or show it to your primary partner as it can spice up your own love life between you two.

Before entering into an open relationship, it should be dicuessed and thought about very seriously. Yes, it sounds wonderful to start out with. You’re basically been given a free pass to sleep around when you feel like it, but you have to remember that your partner will be doing the same. Can you seriously handle that? If you say yes really quickly, than you haven’t considered everything long enough.

If two people enter into this type of relationship without fully understanding what it entales, than it could potentually rip apart and distory the relationship totally. It all goes back to trust, trust trust. Trusting your primary partner with your heart and body, and knowing in the end you are the one in their heart and you alone.

If you are seriously considering entering into an open relationship, I suggest doing it as an experimental thing. A trial peroid of a month for example. To feel out yourself and your partner, see how the whole thing makes both of you feel. See if any feelings of jealousy rise to the surface, if this type of thing is really for you. Testing the waters, and being experimental allows you to learn first hand if it will work for you, and if not, than you still have a chance of not doing damage to the relationship as a whole.

Good Luck.