Just as a general statement which may or may not be correct in every single situation (I am sure there are exceptions), anytime you encounter an intimacy problem with a mate, there is almost always a trust issue involved. This issue usually has nothing to do with your relationship directly. It usually has to do with something that developed long before you ever met, even in childhood. It usually has to do with a relationship with a parent, a relative, a prior love relationship, and could possibly be due to abuse of some nature. It may be bigger than what you and your mate can tackle together, depending upon whether he or she is aware of/not in denial of it's existence and is willing to work on it. I can say this because I have been aware of this issue in my life for many, many years and when I thought that I had beaten it, I find that I have not even scratched the surface. It runs very, very deep. It is painful. And it is very frightening. It's going to take a lot of love and a lot of patience to conquer it.