What Is Imago Relationship Therapy & Its Benefits

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When you’re in a relationship, differences are bound to happen. Thoughts or beliefs do collide with each other time and again. There are some couples who are able to embrace these differences and see past them, whilst there are some who get too involved in them and find themselves amidst bad times in their relationship.

To deal with such situations, experts have come up with many counseling therapies that are designed to help couples overcome their troubles in a relationship and be happy, yet again; one such therapy is Imago Relationship Therapy.

What is Imago Relationship Therapy?

Imago is a Latin word for ‘Image.’ 

Through this therapy, counselors let couples peep deep into themselves and let them find a solution to their problems there. It came into existence in 1970 when Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt developed a counseling method to facilitate healing and promote committed relationships.

Imago Relationship Therapy helps couples rediscover love, connection, and communication by helping them work out their differences and resolve latent conflicts.

It involves unleashing childhood memories and how they had a deep impact on communication and behavioral traits and how it is impacting their adulthood relationship.

When is Imago Relationship Therapy used?

It’s not necessary that one must visit a counselor or relationship expert only when they have got an issue or are going through any sort of trouble. Sometimes, it is okay to see them if you want to strengthen your existing relationship and want to avoid any future clashes.

New couples should visit experts who can guide them about how to be happily married despite the difference in opinions and thoughts.

Imago Relationship Therapy does something similar to couples who are there to improve their relationship and want to improve their communication skills with their partners and in general.

The expert may put you up in a group session or private counseling, which entirely depends upon the need and the choice of the couple.

There have been some papers and research that suggest people suffering from ADHD can also benefit from Imago Relationship Therapy.

4 types of Imago Therapy

There are many different types of imago therapy, and each has its own unique benefits. Here are four types of imago therapy that may be of interest to you:

Related Reading: 9 Best Couples Therapy Techniques to Try in 2022

1. Cognitive imago therapy

Cognitive imago therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on changing negative thoughts and beliefs about oneself. The goal of cognitive imago therapy is to change the way we think about ourselves, so we can make positive changes in our lives.

2. Psychodynamic imago therapy

Psychodynamic imago therapy is a form of psychotherapy that looks at past experiences to gain an understanding of present-day issues. The goal of psychodynamic imago therapy is to help clients understand and resolve issues that are affecting their lives.

3. Behavioral imago therapy

Behavioral imago therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on improving behavioral and emotional issues through the development of positive habits. It aims to help people develop healthy patterns of behavior and improve their quality of life.

Richard Stuart demonstrates his integrative approach to Behavioral Couples Therapy in an actual couples therapy session.

Related Reading: CBT Therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

4. Jungian imago therapy

Jungian imago therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the client’s imagination to help resolve emotional and psychological problems. The goal of Jungian imago therapy is to identify the images and symbols in a client’s dreams and fantasies that can help them overcome psychological obstacles in their life.

Related Reading: How to Manage the Psychological Effects of Rejection

Imago therapy techniques

There are many imago therapy methods that can be used to help improve self-esteem and build confidence. Here are a few of the most popular Imago Therapy exercises:

1. Mirror work

This is one Imago technique that involves looking in a mirror and repeating positive statements about yourself, such as I am worthy, I am enough, I am beautiful, and so on.

2. Guided imagery

Guided imagery involves imagining yourself in a calm and relaxing environment, like at the beach or in the forest, and noticing how you feel.

3. Metaphors

A metaphor is a symbolic image that helps us to better understand ourselves and the world around us.

4. Reframing

This therapy technique involves looking at situations in a different way. For example, if a person hears the words “You’re stupid,” reframe it to say “That’s not bad.” 

How to get started with Imago Therapy?

While growing up, we do tend to develop our self-worth based on how important people around us treat us. This is where we start to believe how we should be treated and what they should expect out of us. This is where we all get our self-identity, which is directly proportional to love.

For instance, if, while growing up, you were loved for all your good deeds, you get a feeling that you must perform tasks better in order to get love. 

However, when you’re in a relationship with someone, things might alter a bit, and this would put you in a belief that you must have done something wrong for not getting the love back the way you used to while growing up.

This surely brings all the past wounds back to life and can sabotage the entire base of a relationship. With Imago Relationship Therapy, individuals are given a chance to heal and grow with these wounds.

Related Reading: 10 Ways On How Low Self Esteem Affects a Relationship

Certainly, altering the past is not possible at all, but what one can learn is to grow old gracefully with these wounds.

Imago Relationship Therapy is based on 5 principles:

1. Revisit your mate as a wounded child
2. Reinvent romance in your relationship with gifts or appreciation
3. Restructure your disagreements by altering your complaints into requests
4. Resolve extreme anger feelings
5. Reconsider your relationship as a source of safety, satisfaction, and happiness

What you should be expecting? 

To conduct Imago Couples’ Therapy, couples are often taken out on weekends to some place where they can be given some activities and can have dialogues aiming to improve their communication and make them a better person. 

They’re assigned an Imago Relationship Therapy worksheet with instructions as to what they should be doing during the course of their stay there.

Once couples have attended these group sessions, if they wish to, they can also attend individual sessions with the therapist as well to come out with a better solution to their issues.

These are couple sessions; hence one must either be with their partner or must choose a partner who is going through similar trouble.

8 benefits of Imago Therapy

With the Imago Relationship Therapy exercise, couples can get the below benefits:

1. Couples will resolve childhood wounds
2. Couples see each other as wounded beings and try to heal each other
3. Communication between couples improves post-therapy
4. They start valuing your partner’s needs
5. They learn to embrace their dark sides
6. They learn to satisfy their own basic needs
7. They develop the strength that they believed they didn’t have previously
8. They start rediscovering their true nature

How can I find an Imago Therapist?

Everyone faces challenges in their lives. Some are bigger than others, but no matter how big or small they may be, we all need and deserve to be heard and helped. That’s what Imago therapists are all about.

Imago therapists are trained professionals in a particular field who know specific techniques of this type of therapy. You can find the nearest one around your location or find one online here. 

Takeaway

There are so many benefits to Imago relationship therapy that it’s hard not to contemplate taking a couple of sessions of this. It can really improve a relationship even if there aren’t any pre-existing issues in the relationship.