Coaching practices for Explicit Trust Repair

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Explicit Trust Repair, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• Trust with this person has cracked and I just keep apologizing for "not being trustworthy" in this big vague way
• Even after we patch things up, every new conflict still feels like it could be the one that ends us
• Something’s damaged my trust in them but I can’t bring myself to just say so, so instead I quietly pull back, vent to other people, and let it fester
• To smooth things over I say "sounds good," "I’m fine with it," "I understand" when none of it is actually true
• We’re trying to settle this just between the two of us, but the truth is a whole group felt the fallout and their trust took a hit too

Practices that may help

1. Diagnose which trust dimension is broken before trying to repair
   Name the specific trust assessment that failed — then address that one, not trust in general.
   The Trust Triangle
2. Let repeated repair build earned security
   Each successful repair teaches "we can break and come back" — which is what makes a relationship feel safe.
   Rupture and Repair
3. Have explicit trust conversations when trust is at stake
   Name the trust issue directly rather than managing it indirectly.
   The Trust Triangle
4. Build sincerity by saying only what you mean
   Only make commitments and assertions you actually believe — and retract the ones you don’t.
   The Trust Triangle
5. Involve the affected community, not just the two parties
   Harm rarely affects only two people — include those affected by the ripple.
   Restorative Justice (Howard Zehr)
6. Demonstrate care through visible acts in the other person’s interest
   Show that your interests and theirs are genuinely aligned — not only when it’s convenient.
   The Trust Triangle
7. The Trust Triangle
   Charles Feltman’s Trust Triangle (from The Thin Book of Trust) identifies four distinct assessments that together constitute trust: sincerity (I mean what I say), reliability (I do what I say), competence (I have the ability to do what I say), and care (I have your interests at heart). Trust breaks down when any one of these assessments fails — and repairing trust requires identifying which assessment was damaged.
8. Repair an attachment injury
   Specific relationship betrayals -- moments when you were not there -- need a specific repair, not just time.
   Emotionally Focused Therapy: Sue Johnson's Framework for Lasting Bond Repair
9. Extend trust deliberately to invite it
   Trust others first, in bounded ways, before they have earned every dimension — it is how trust is built.
   The Trust Triangle
10. Lower your guard to raise the intimacy score
    Sharing something real about yourself makes others feel safer sharing something real with you.
    The Trust Equation, Made Practical

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