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Imago Relationship Therapy
Imago Relationship Therapy, originating in the partnership of
Harville Hendrix and Helen Hunt, integrates the seminal interpersonal insights of
major Western psychological systems, behavioral sciences, and spiritual
disciplines into a uniquely comprehensive theory of primary love
relationships. Developed from the exclusive study of couples, it
presents an approach that builds on and extends previous efforts.
The "Imago" is a composite
image in the unconscious of the significant character traits and
behaviors of childhood primary caretakers. By pairing us with an
"Imago match" - an individual who is like our caretakers in
emotionally significant ways - our unconscious drives us to re-create
our childhood psychological dynamics in an attempt to heal the central
wounds we carry. The process of Imago Relationship Therapy is aimed at
using this context to transform relationships into a therapeutic
encounter and fuel for each partner's psychological and spiritual
self-completion.
Imago Relationship Therapy utilizes a
variety of clinical procedures to teach couples, and singles desiring an
intimate union, to identify their defenses against intimacy and to
understand the unconscious forces that influence partner selection and
contribute toward flawed relationships. Goals of the therapy include:
identifying frustrations rooted in primitive and illusory ideation of
one's love partner; recognizing the failure of archaic behavior to
gratify needs and achieve self-completion; and perceiving one's partner
realistically without the encumbrance of one's own unconscious
projections. Other aspects of the Imago process involve learning new
skills and changing hurtful behavior, in the course of which partners
consciously aim to meet one another's needs and thereby restore the lost
and denied parts of themselves. A core skill is a three-part dialogue
that breaks couples out of defensive and symbiotic relating and promotes
differentiation and compassion for the other. Therapy is ultimately made
obsolete as each partner becomes a skilled advocate and
"container" for the other's growth process. The Imago process,
when consistently applied in any relationship, has the potential to be a
transformative journey toward mutual healing and maturation.
The Institute for Imago Relationship Therapy was founded in 1984
by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. and Helen Hunt, M.A. It offers face-to-face
learning opportunities and products that teach the dynamics of the
committed relationship in achieving personal
growth. This includes national and international workshops and seminars
for couples and singles, as well as training programs for qualified
therapists in the theory and practice of Imago Relationship Therapy.
Over thirteen hundred Certified Imago Therapists, over one hundred
Workshop Presenters and an institute faculty of twenty Clinical
Instructors offer therapy, workshops, training and conduct ongoing
research of significant relationships for the purpose of enhancing the
systematic theory of Imago Relationship Therapy.
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