Being emotionally attuned to your partner is the essence of trust, and [John] Gottman offers the acronym ATTUNE to outline the key elements of this type of connection: Attention, Turning Toward, Tolerance, Understanding, Non-defensive responding, and Empathy. This is a helpful way to remind us to turn toward our partner with our full attention, to be tolerant and understanding, and to communicate in a non-defensive, empathic way.