For some new to open relationships, it may feel a bit of a misnomer to say that trust is central to the connection. For those who’ve explored open relationships for a while, you understand the vital contribution that trust plays.
We feel trust is more central to an open relationship than it is to a traditional, monogamous relationship. In fact, no open relationship type can thrive without trust.
If you’re new to open relationship dating, this blog is one of your best starting points.
Understanding the Role of Trust in Open Relationships
There are numerous open relationship types.
Whatever the type of open relationship you choose to explore, trust will serve as a central pillar that makes or breaks the experience.
Trust in open relationships differs from trust in monogamous relationships. First, monogamous relationships tend to foul up trust, hence, the exorbitant divorce rate. When we further explore monogamous relationship types that fall victim to divorce, we seen a trend. Let’s break it down by professions with the highest divorce rates:
Dancers
Bartenders
Massage Therapists
Gaming Cage Workers
Gaming Service Workers
Notice a trend? All of these professions lead to inflated connections outside the marriage. If trust is never worked on or appreciated by the couple, these exterior relations, although likely professional, create tension. These professions may lead to common trust issues, such as fear of betrayal, lack of reliability, dishonesty, manipulative behavior, and unresolved conflicts.
Of course, using those professions as examples was only to highlight why trust is so powerful in open relationships. Open relationships, as you’re keenly aware, include other people.
Building Trust in an Open Relationship
There are a number of components that contribute to the human engine known as trust.
Discussing feelings and concerns openly
We list this in our top spot because often, it’s the most difficult one. If you’re coming from (or are currently attempting to resolve) a failed monogamous relationship, it’s likely that failed communication contributed to that demise. Therefore, you and your partner will need to learn to communicate at a new, fresh level.
Communication means expressing emotional and physical needs and desires. But more importantly, it means listening. You need to hear your partner, not just wait for your turn to speak.
Be Consistent
Do as you say you’ll do on everything. Make consistent follow-through in the relationship the work of habit. Earn and build trust that your word means everything.
In an open relationship, your partner will expect you to respect boundaries. That’s a big serving of trust all at once. So make sure you build that trust all throughout the relationship.
Navigate Jealousy, Insecurity
We have an entire open relationship jealousy blog that’s worth reading. Jealousy is natural. It’s in every relationship, including work and family and friends. In order to navigate it, you must understand the true source of the feelings. And that all comes back to communication.
Full Disclosure
You don’t need to tell your partner every single thing about past relationships, however, you should communicate that essentials. This helps build the framework of communicating what you like and don’t like, and what you need to work on yourself.
Common Misconceptions
There’s a whole lot of misconceptions when it comes to building trust in an open relationship. Be aware of them.
There’s no jealousy
This is untrue. As expressed earlier, jealousy is a pervasive human experience in all of our relationships.
Infidelity isn’t possible
Infidelity is the act of breaking a relationship boundary with another person. Open relationships have mutually agreed upon structure, if you break that, you’re not doing it right.
Trust is easier in open relationships because there are no secrets
Trust can be easier in an open relationship, but only if you choose to do the work to build it.
Remember that these misconceptions can create a stigma around open relationships and prevent people from understanding their full dynamics. Each open relationship is unique and depends heavily on the people involved and how they navigate their relationship.