A polyamorous trio have revealed how they manage to make their relationship work with each other.
Polyamorous relationships have been on the rise in the past decade. According to statistics reported by The Guardian, around 10 percent of people in the UK would consider entering into a polyamorous relationship, while about one percent of people surveyed admitted to being in one.
Although these figures are still fairly low compared to the general population, social media and reality shows such as Couple to Throuple and Seeking Sister Wife has meant that more people are aware of non-monogamous dating.
This isn't to say that polyamory isn't without challenge, as couple Felix, Shannon and Brett explained how they make sure their relationship works.
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Appearing on an episode of Soft White Underbelly, Shannon and Felix, from Los Angeles, US, explained that they have been together for around a decade, nine of those being in a polyamorous relationship.
After experimenting with swinging, the couple decided to explore a deeper connection - eventually meeting Brett online.
The trio have no created a polyamorous family together, describing their relationship as a 'polycule' which includes themselves, Brett's wife and two women which Shannon and Felix both date.
Naturally, maintaining a relationship with multiple partners is more complicated than a monogamous one, which is why Shannon, Felix and Brett explained the golden rules for making a polyamorous relationship work.
The couple explained that the most important part of a polyamorous relationship is making sure that everybody is comfortable with the arrangement.
Sharing advice for would-be poly couples, Shannon said they should first 'make sure that they and their partner, before opening their relationship, are just like that.
'Go to counselling, do whatever, and make sure [you] both want it.'
Shannon then went on to reveal a scenario where they'd met up with another couple - only to later discover that the woman in the relationship wasn't actually comfortable with the situation.
"She didn’t want it, she was lying on her husband’s behalf... we immediately ceased," Shannon said.
"People will open up the relationship to try and fix it."
Communication is also important, with Shannon explaining that each person in the 'polycule' has to have respect for the person's primary partner.
"If there's an issue in our life, then everything else gets put on pause," she said, adding they practice what is known as 'hierarchal polyamory', which means that her primary spouse Felix comes before Brett.
Brett also highlighted that women will naturally have more luck when it comes to finding partners, saying: "The woman is always the most popular."
He added: "The other piece is dudes don’t give up. You’re going to go out there and your wife or your girlfriend is going to be 5,000 times more popular than you are as far as people getting back."
Felix went on to say that if any partners experience jealousy during the relationship they need to work out what's causing the feeling as well as learning how to accept yourself as you are.
Topics: Dating trends, Sex and Relationships
Brenna Cooper