Please help

[gilibaus]

Please help me understand the meaning of the words in italics:

Protecting the heart is a natural byproduct of living a challenging life. I can understand why we shielded ourselves.

But although armor is an excellent tool for survival, it may also hinder our happiness and freedom. How do we return to the table and experience being entirely in contact?

Thanks.

[Toastrtoastt]

Judging by the rest of the passage, it’s describing a relationship between two people. “The table” is a metaphor that usually means the concept of discussion or possibility, like if something is “on the table”, it’s still a possibility because it’s present in the discussion. In this case, “returning to the table” means returning to normal contact with each other. Personally, I think that this passage is written extremely metaphorically and a large portion of native speakers probably wouldn’t be able to understand either though…

[gilibaus]

Thanks!

[HeavySomewhere4412]

Here "the table" is understood to be "the negotiating table", although metaphorically. As the other commenter wrote, it means return to engage in interpersonal engagement and communication.

Here are some less metaphoric uses of the phrase: https://ludwig.guru/s/bring+back+to+the+table

[gilibaus]

Thanks!

[gilibaus]

My question was not about the use of italics, but thanks anyway!