Optimal Intimacy™: A Science-Based Relationship Longevity Workshop
A Science-Based Couples 1-Day Workshop to Rebuild Emotional and Sexual Intimacy
If your connection feels distant, this one-day experience will help you reconnect, communicate better, and reignite desire.
Optimal Intimacy™ is a science-based Relationship Longevity Workshop designed for couples who desire more than simply staying together—they want a relationship that continues to grow, flourish, and thrive throughout a lifetime. Integrating the latest research in relationship science, attachment, and sexual science, the workshop equips couples with practical, evidence-based skills to strengthen emotional and physical connection, deepen trust, cultivate secure attachment, and sustain intimacy across the lifespan.
Ready to strengthen your relationship?
Reserve your spot for the Optimal Intimacy™ Couples 1-Day Workshop and invest in a day that brings you closer—emotionally, relationally, and sexually.
Workshop Cost: $975 per couple
To secure your spot, a $275 non-refundable deposit is required at registration. The remaining balance is due three weeks prior to the workshop. We’ll send you an invoice with your payment details.
Group Size: 2-4 couples
Date: This Workshop is scheduled based on Dr. Naegel’s availability. Please fill out this form to be notified of the next date.
Time: 9am-4:30pm
Therapist: Karen Naegel, Ph.D (Clinical Sexology), LMFT, EFCT, CST
Location: 4726 Park Road, Ste. C, Charlotte, NC 28209
Prefer a private experience?
This workshop is offered in a group setting with other couples. If you prefer to work privately with Dr. Naegel—just you, your partner, and your therapist—a private 1-day Optimal Intimacy Intensive is available for $2,000 per couple. Contact us to book your private experience.
Ready to register for the workshop? Click the registration button below to reserve your spot.
Cancellation policy: Your space is reserved exclusively for you and your partner. Cancellations made 7 days in advance receive a 50% refund. Cancellations made within 7 days receive a 25% refund.
What to expect from the 1-Day Couples Workshop
The Optimal Intimacy™ 1-Day Couples Workshop blends research-based frameworks and private guided couples conversations—helping you and your partner connect more deeply and confidently.
1-Day Workshop format (can be customized into a private intensive for you, your partner, and Dr. Naegel)
- In-person at our Charlotte office
- Group setting
- Teaching and couples-only exercises
- Safe, respectful space designed for growth
- Psychoeducational experience grounded in attachment science, sexual science, and motivational psychology
What you’ll walk away with
By the end of this one-day experience, you and your partner will have:
- Tools to reconnect emotionally when things feel tense, distant, or misaligned
- A shared language for intimacy that helps you talk about sex without shame or pressure
- A clearer understanding of desire, trust, and meaning in your relationship
- A roadmap for continued growth—emotionally, relationally, and sexually
- More confidence navigating vulnerable conversations that once felt difficult or avoided
This is a structured, research-based experience designed to build skills, deepen connection, and help your relationship thrive.
Ready to experience clarity, connection, and confidence together?
Register now for the next Optimal Intimacy™ workshop.
Why this approach works
The Optimal Intimacy™ is grounded in science—and shaped by real couples’ lived experiences.
During the 1-Day Couples Workshop, you’ll build core skills drawn from research on emotion, desire, and lifelong intimacy:
- Relationship flow: Cultivate presence, shared attention, and emotional engagement with each other (Csikszentmihalyi, 2020)
- Positive sexual communication: Develop language for pleasure, meaning, and curiosity—not performance (Kleinplatz, 2020)
- A lasting emotional + sexual bond: Learn how to co-create security and connection that evolves over time (McCarthy, 2015)
This 1-Day Couples Workshop helps you reconnect as partners—not just in daily life, but in the deeper spaces of intimacy, trust, and desire.
“These conversations brought up areas that needed improvement. There were misconceptions, and this workshop has been a great motivator for seeking/longevity in a relationship. Absolutely would recommend it to anyone in a committed relationship.”
–Female workshop participant
Core conversations of Optimal Intimacy™
The 1-Day Couples Intensive is built around 5 guided conversations—each grounded in science and designed to deepen emotional and sexual connection.
1. Safety
“I feel emotionally secure with you.”
2. Desire
“I look forward to intimacy with you.”
3. Pleasure
“We enjoy giving and receiving touch.”
4. Eroticism
“We cultivate playfulness, novelty, and passion.”
5. Meaning
“Our sexual relationship reflects our friendship, love, and commitment.”
“The couple’s conversations were very helpful. It provided the opportunity to apply and discuss what had been shared. The workshop did help us identify focus areas and discuss topics previously avoided.”
–Male workshop participant
Who this workshop is (and isn’t) for
The Optimal Intimacy™ Couples Workshop is designed for couples who want to strengthen their relationship—emotionally, relationally, and sexually.
It's a great fit for couples...
- Wanting a deeper emotional connection
- Hoping to improve communication around sensitive or avoided topics
- Seeking to enhance sexual intimacy, comfort, and confidence
- In a good place but seeking growth, expansion, or renewed passion
- Feeling stuck or disconnected and ready to rebuild trust
- Entering a new life stage (parenthood, empty nesting, career transitions)
- Committed to strengthening their relationship through science-backed tools
This 1-Day Couples Intensive is ideal for committed couples at any stage—newly married, long married, or later-in-life couples.
This workshop may not be a fit if there's...
- A lack of commitment from one or both partners
- High relationship distress, including threats to leave the relationship
- A partner unwilling to engage in strengthening emotional or sexual connection
In these cases, individual or couples therapy may be more appropriate before joining a growth-oriented intensive. Referrals are available.
Unsure if this workshop is a good fit for you?
Contact us, and we’ll help you decide if this is the right next step.
About your facilitator, Dr. Karen Naegel
PhD (Clinical Sexology), LMFT, EFCT, CST
Dr. Karen Naegel created the Optimal Intimacy™ Workshop based on her specialized training in couples therapy, attachment science, and sex therapy.
Her doctoral work integrated two evidence-based approaches—Hold Me Tight® and Optimal Intimacy™ —into a unified model for strengthening emotional and sexual connection.
Her dissertation, Hold Me Tight and Enhancing Sexual Intimacy: An Integrated Workshop for Couples Pilot Study, led to a peer-reviewed manuscript, Integrating Attachment and Sexuality, accepted for publication in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy and forthcoming in print.
She has facilitated more than 25 couples workshops, refining the Optimal Intimacy™ model to help partners deepen closeness, improve communication, and cultivate lasting desire.
When she’s not working with couples, Dr. Naegel enjoys spending time with her husband of over 24 years and their two young adult children. She also loves weightlifting and outdoor activities.
Reviews from past workshop participants
Ready to reconnect emotionally, sexually, and relationally?
Let’s help you grow closer in ways that last. 1-Day Couples Workshops are scheduled based on Dr. Karen Naegel’s availability.
Want more information on the Optimal Intimacy 1-Day Couples Workshop or Intensive?
Complete the form below.