Creator of The Intimacy Bond™ | Relationship Specialist | Princeton, NJ

Terri DiMatteo, LPC, created The Intimacy Bond from 14+ years of clinical work with couples. Her framework draws on graduate training in Evolutionary Psychology and Early Childhood Development—but it was forged in the therapy room, watching hundreds of couples navigate infidelity, conflict, and disconnection. She recognized a pattern mainstream models miss: romantic love is not "friendship with a side of sex." It is a biological pair-bond designed to integrate emotional safety and physical intimacy as co-equal strands. When she applied John Bowlby's attachment principles to adult relationships—and layered in evolutionary biology—she saw why some couples stayed connected and others unraveled. Her background in human development let her trace the arc from infant bonding to adult partnership. Her graduate coursework in mating strategies and pair-bonding gave her language for what she was witnessing in session: physicality is not optional. It is the second strand that must activate alongside emotion for protection to emerge. For over a decade, Terri has guided couples through the full arc of connection—from tentative beginnings to repairing and deepening connection, to rebuilding after betrayal. The Intimacy Bond  is what she saw working, repeatedly, with real clients. Terri practices via secure telehealth across New Jersey. Visit opendoortherapy.net to learn more.