A trust walk is a process between two people in which one person has his or her eyes closed (or blind-folded), and the other leads them on a walk. The eyes-open person has to be explicit in his/her verbals instructions to avoid any and all obstacles, e.g.”There’s a tree root sticking up a few inches in front of your left foot.”
My husband took me on a trust walk when we first met in high school, at a weekend class in human relations. It was at Camp Takona, near a lake outside Ann Arbor, MI. Several years ago, when we were first dating, he took me on another trust walk off the Baker Highway in WA. It was cold, damp, steep, and slippery. He held my hand and gave explicit instructions. After a bit I heard a roaring sound, and realized we were nearing a waterfall. Three creeks and falls merged together in this spot. It was loud and misty and wonderful.
A committed relationship is a trust walk, too. We are all blind at times, we are leading or following, we need to be explicit in our communication lest we trip.
These are skills that we may need to hone. I have reviewed several books in this blog that are great in helping with increasing understanding of yourself, your partner, and to increase skills. Check out the reading the list on my website.