No, this is not like one of those jokes about rednecks. (“you might be a redneck IF”…).  I’m serious.  Polyamory is a word that was invented in the 90’s to describe the practice of having a romantic relationship with more than one person at a time.  Why would anyone choose to be polyamorous in the first place, and is it something you’d like to pursue yourself?

To give a few ideas, you may want to explore polyamory if:

-Monogamy has always felt unnatural for you.

-You want to be able to act on the deep attractions that come up for other people, not just your partner.

-You want to explore and enjoy your sexuality and your capacity for love to the highest extent possible.

-You believe it is entirely possible for you and your partner to love each other AND love others too.

-You have a fundamental belief in the abundance of love, so you know that when you express love for one, it does not take away love from another.

-You realize that, no matter how much you and your partner get from each other, it’s unlikely you will ever be able to fulfill ALL of each other’s sexual and relationship needs.

-You and your partner love each other and want to continue to be a couple; however there is a very real barrier right now, such as living in different parts of the world or one partner being so ill that sex is not viable.

-You are up for the challenge that being a polyamorist poses, which includes having impeccable communication skills, a willingness to be transparent in all your relationships, and a deep ability to trust.

-You realize that, after all, you don’t need a reason to do something that you want to do that feels good to you (regardless of what society tells you)!

A few thoughts on why you might NOT want to choose an open relationship:

-The truth is, you only want to do it to avoid intimacy.

-You think it will “save” your relationship, which is on the rocks.  While open relationships can and do improve the primary relationship, it is not a cure all that will magically make your relationship issues disappear; in fact, if this is the case it will probably make things worse.

-Your motivation for doing it is that your partner wants to and you fear you will lose her or him if you don’t.