Working through the tough times


IMG_8130Is it better to work through the issue or end the relationship?

This time of year makes me reflective and think about the past. When I was younger, my view was very much ‘black & white,’ but through the years my views have become ‘it depends,’ or waiting to see the outcome. Even if I wait to see the outcome, it means I have to be patient and the result may not be clear since it is evolving. Lately, I started asking myself how does apply to relationships and threesomes?

To begin with, good and bad are not absolutes. Instead they are perceptual definitions that are defined by experiences and the context of the situation. A situation we initially perceive as bad may in a matter of weeks or months be seen as good. Likewise, a situation that we feel is bad but give it a bit more time may turn out to be good.

I believe how we perceive a situation influences how we relate to others, how we respond to them, and how we try to manage the ‘stress’ in our lives. For those who have had a bad threesome experience may find in a few months or years that they no longer see it as such. Instead they may view it as either indifferent to it (e.g. something they can tick off their sexual bucket list but will never do again) or maybe it is something they may want to pursue. This means, we should not have a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to a situation whereby we try to minimize the anxiety, ‘stress’ from it but try to work through each situation in order to find a solution.

Also, I believe how we perceive a situation depends on how much responsibility we are willing to accept. In my opinion, we see a situation as bad when we are not willing to accept responsibility for the situation and we try to assign blame to someone else. By doing this it leads to ‘stress’ and conflict which only makes things worse. I believe, by accepting responsibility for our choices then many of the bad situations are perceived as not being as bad.

Therefore, we have a lot of control over how we react, relate to others, and how we view the world. By understanding this, taking responsibility for our actions, and how we chose to perceive things influences our relationship. My advice, is to look for solutions and work through the issue instead of finding the quickest way to lower the anxiety that a situation creates. If we are able to do this then, I believe, we will take more pleasure from the things around us and be more open to the opportunities.

What makes a couple successful


Bee seeks flower for intimate relationship

 

What is necessary for a successful relationship and successful threesome?

 

One of the core ingredients, I believe, is necessary for a successful threesome is a solid relationship and this is a common thread throughout this site. Defining a solid relationship is not as easy since a lot depends on religious background, cultural, political background, and socio-economic status. This makes providing a unifying definition difficult and makes the definition dependent on couple that is asking.

 

Recently a Psychology Today article made an attempt in defining the term and I believe, it positively contributes to my ongoing discussion of what makes a relationship stable enough for a threesome. With that said, there are a three minor points that I do not agree.

 

Same Bedtime

 

The first one is going to bed at the same time. Whilst I understand the point being made, I feel it neglects other issues such as health problems or work schedule that may impact bedtimes. In my opinion, this is a minor ingredient for a successful relationship and not a major ingredient.

 

Common Interests

 

Second is sharing common interests. Without developing common interests a relationship, I believe, is destined to fail. However the article neglects to mention how much of a common interest a couple should share, what definition of common interest the author is using, and to what emotional level that interest should be shared. Without more discussion from the author I believe this interest is pointless.

 

10 points too superficial

 

Finally I believe, the 10 points raised are very closely related and do not dwell deep enough for the article to be meaningful. Nonetheless point four regarding forgiveness and point five focusing on what your partner does right, highlight the author is heading on the right direction for this article. I believe if the author was focusing on deeper points about relationships then this article would be much more meaningful.

 

Finally

 

I believe this article is a good guide on some of the more superficial aspects that a relationship needs to be successful and it provides limited insight into what a couple should be doing if they are considering a threesome.

 

 

 

The basics of threeosme safety


 

Introduction

What do you think when you hear the word safety? Safety conjures up an image of an activity being sucked of its fun or Health and Safety Laws in the UK that have gone too far. Nonetheless safety has an important part of having a threesome and it is the part that ensures that the threesome remains enjoyable while protecting those involved.

Sexual Safety:

 

This is the easiest point to start the discussion since it is a topic people are familiar with at some level. Sexual safety means more than practicing safe-sex, it means avoiding unnecessary risks that can damage your sexual health. It also means looking at the details of what is being planned and ensuring that what is being planned will not have an impact on anyone’s health at a later date. Examples include properly cleaning “toys” before using them, not going bareback with someone, not using lubricants that can breakdown a condom, informing your partner if you believe you have been exposed to a STI, allowing a chance to bathe, and changing condoms when switching between anal and vaginal penetration. Essentially sexual safety means respecting everyone enough that extra measures are considered and communicating additional information so that sexual health is not put at risk.

Personal Safety:

 

Personal safety and emotional safety has some overlap. Since there is some overlap this section will focus more on the physical aspects of personal safety and to some extent address the issue of personal safety as it relates to meeting the third person. It is impossible to speak about every possible risk to personal safety that might theoretically arise in a threesome situation and this section will take a broad brush stroke over the topic.

Overview

Stating point regarding personal safety is our “inner voice.” All of us have an “inner voice” that tells us if something is not right. Choosing to listen our inner voice is our choice. However in a threesome situation if it does not feel right, if you feel there is something not right about the situation, or the situation make you feel uncomfortable then it is best not to ignore that “inner voice.” Most likely your “inner voice” is warning you about a potential injury to your well-being.

Another point regarding personal safety is not to put yourself in a situation where your safety becomes at risk. There are some who feel to “get in the mood” they need to drink or use drugs. There is nothing wrong with a social drink in order to get the conversation flowing and to relax everyone. However the issue becomes when having more than a social drink or using drugs can lead to fuelling emotions such as, when are watching your partner having sex with someone else in front of you and such activities makes it more likely that the individual will participate in risky behavior that they would not normally do when sober. Undertaking risky behavior can result in boundaries being broken, unnecessary exposure to STDs / STIs, and in some cases risk of pregnancy. It is therefore better to be in control of the situation and to make appropriate decisions then to make a decision based on the “heat of the moment” only to regret it later.

Final point, which ties in to the next part of personal safety as it relates to meeting the third person, is examining the planned threesome from a personal safety perspective. It means examining the planned threesome and then trying to identify where potential safety issues may exist. From there then determining the likelihood of it happening, and asking if it did happen why would be impact of the outcome? Purpose of this exercise, essentially is to make sure what is being planned addresses the issues of safety.

Meeting the Third Person

 

Meeting the third person covers a very broad spectrum from placing an ad on the internet to physically meeting them. While it is impossible to cover every conceivable situation a few general principles do apply. First principle is creating an alias. An alias is essential because it helps to protect your identity from family, friends, employers, if you have children in the home it will protect them, and anyone else that you may come in contact with. It goes without saying, there is nothing wrong with having a threesome but if someone does know your identity then it could have some consequences for you, especially if you have a job where you are dealing with the public. In order to protect yourself, your family and your job creating an alias becomes a part of planning for safety.

The question now becomes what is an alias? An alias sanitizes your key information so that is not easily traced to you. This means when creating an alias, you remove any information that can personally identify you and restate it in such a way that protects you. So if you are John (age 42) & Jane (age 38) residing in Northbrook, Illinois then your alias may become Mark (age 40) and Sarah (age 35) in Chicago. As a part of this process any pictures you might use would not have pictures of your children, other family members, or anything that would identify you. Instead they might be either neck down pictures or pictures showing you from a distance, so that facial features become less distinct while still showing a generalized body shape.

Remember your alias will be the first thing people who read your ad on the internet, you contact, or meet will know about you. Therefore it becomes important that your alias is something that is manageable and easy for you to remember. If not, it may make developing trust more difficult thereby loosing potential third persons.

Final question is how far do you take the alias? Personally my recommendation would be taking it far enough that any person you come in contact with regarding a threesome cannot identify where you work, do not know where you live if you have children, and they do not know your contact information. This may mean getting a pay-as-you-go cellular / mobile phone or buying a separate cellular / mobile phone for this activity. By getting a mobile / cellular phone dedicated to this activity it keeps your own phone number hidden and it also allow you to know anyone who is contacting you their call somehow relates to a threesome. Likewise establishing a dedicated email address for this activity will help to protect you from SPAM emails and it makes it easier to manage. Thirdly this means not taking the third person to your house if you have children around and if you do bring them making sure any sensitive information (e.g. bank, credit card information, and family photos) is secured. Fourthly avoid giving any career information that might identify your employer or may damage your reputation. Finally an alias may sound as though you are lying or intentionally being deceptive. This author feels as long as you are honest to questions being asked, that does not relate to your identity, and your present yourself in a truthful manner then creating an alias for protecting your protection is justifiable.

After speaking with them online and there seems to be an interest in meeting to see if things develop for a threesome to happen, the question becomes how to handle it? There is no right way to handle it but, this author feels, is for someone starting out with having a threesome then the first meeting should be a “meet & greet” in a public place. This means the first meeting involves no sex occurring and the purpose of the meeting is find out if all three of you are compatible. Before meeting them it may be worth your time to bring a cellular phone  / mobile phone for an emergency, let someone know that as a couple you are going out that night, and consider other safety measures. Then after the meeting having the time to talk to each other about it and then determine if that person is someone you want to have a threesome with.

Emotional Safety:

 

Emotional safety essentially means ensuring that you maintain the same positive perspective of having a threesome, from beginning to well after the threesome occurs, and immediately addressing any issues that interferes with that perspective. This means, this author feels, that each person participating in the threesome needs to have the proper positive perspective. Having a positive perspective does not necessary mean being 100% enthused about the idea 100% of the time. Instead it means viewing having a threesome as something positive and enjoyable in which each person has decided to participate. Without viewing a threesome as a choice and a decision to participate in it freely leaves allot of room for feeling bad about it.

So how do you achieve a balance to view the threesome positively as a choice? This author believes that being assertive as a large role in it. Being assertive means making your needs known in a manner that is not confrontation and as long as it is not a need that needs to be met in order to have the threesome (e.g. safe-sex practices), then try to find a way to reach a compromise. Without being assertive to make you needs known and to protect those needs that you feel are absolutely necessary to have a threesome.

Conclusion

 

This chapter briefly touched on the issue of safety from a sexual, personal, and emotional perspective. However due to the breadth of this subject it was not possible to cover all aspects of it and the purpose of this section was to introduce the idea as some something that needs to be considered when planning a threesome. If there were four points from this section to remember they would be, first do not discount any feeling of uneasiness because it could be a warning that something is not right. Second it is important to be assertive, to deal with issues as they come up, and not to give up on your core feelings in order to please someone else so that a threesome can happen. Third creating an alias can help in protecting yourself, your career, and family from the possible negative consequences of having a threesome. Finally it is important to review the planned threesome, from time to time, in order to ensure issues of safety are being addressed and that as a couple you are not putting your safety at unnecessary risk. By considering and planning for your safety in a threesome situation it will go along way to ensure that your threesome is enjoyable.

 

The problems of trying to use a threesome to add spice to a relationship


 

communication

 

Trust is a word that is commonly used in advertising in making a brand appear reputable and in a relationship it is the cornerstone of the relationship. It is formed in a relationship through a couple’s history, ability to communicate, and ability to allow the relationship to grow. Once communication breakdown a couple’s relationship begins suffering, needs stop getting met and the relationship begins to decay. Without trust a relationship withers and dies. If a couple allows the relationship to decay long enough cheating is a likely result in order to highlight to the couple that there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

 

In an effort to minimize cheating from occurring couples on occasion will look to having a threesome as a way to manage a partner that has previously cheated or preventing cheating from occurring. Unfortunately this is a wrong perception and leads to further problems in the relationship. This is due to the lack of trust being communicated by one partner to the other and it does not provide a solid foundation for having a threesome.

 

Sometimes couples will look to having a threesome for repairing a relationship that has gone sour, a relationship that has become mundane, or one that is in need of some work. In these situations trust becomes an issue due to the fact both members of the couple are aware that their relationship has issues, they are not sure how to fix it, and are hoping that having a threesome will add life to it. However the reality is the relationship is vulnerable to the influence of the third and it is quite possible that the third could destroy the relationship through influencing one member of the couple to withhold information from the other. Also it is quite possible that the couple will not take the time to work through all of the issues involved in having a threesome, rush to have one, and create further issues for them due to the continued breakdown of communication between them.

 

On occasion a couple will look to having a threesome due to one partner who is easily jealous, angry, or controlling in an effort to show that this is no longer an issue for them. Trust usually becomes an issue at some point due to the fact the suspicious nature of the person and their reluctance to fully trust their partner.

 

In any event trust is needed for a threesome to be successful. Transparent communication, debriefing, willingness to immediately discuss any issues that come up, setting up boundaries, and the following of the established boundaries all go to great length in establishing trust. Trust does not come easy especially when it involves having sex outside of monogamous relationship and a threesome should not be undertaken if there are any issues of trust. If there are issues of trust there is a good chance that the invited third person could seize an opportunity to divide the relationship and issues of trust can fuel future conflicts surrounding issues regarding the threesome. Before undertaking a threesome the couple need to feel that there is trust and the ability to communicate should any issue come up. Otherwise there is a good chance that the threesome will prove to be destructive for the relationship.