7/26/2023 0 Comments We are imangoHowever, no significant clinical differences were found when results were compared with control groups that didn’t go through IRT (Gehlert et al., 2017). And several controlled studies have reported significant increases in empathy and marital satisfaction in couples who have received IRT over multiple weeks (Schmidt & Gehlert, 2016 Gehlert, Schmidt, Giegerich, & Luquet, 2017). The existence of more than 1,000 Imago therapists practicing in over 30 countries worldwide suggests the approach’s value. Recent psychological studies have confirmed the importance of therapies that focus on communication and interpersonal skills to improve relationship satisfaction and reduce distress (Schmidt & Gehlert, 2016). The importance of caring relationships to both physical and mental wellbeing is widely accepted. Instead, it is time to work toward something more authentic and enduring (Luquet, 2015). Ultimately, according to Wade Luquet, couples in a long-lasting relationship must come to terms with the fact that romantic love – in abundance at the beginning of their relationship – was temporary. IRT is concerned with growth and moving on from such feelings – essential for a couple to do the work needed to mend their relationship. Yet, as the romantic love fades, so can their feelings of security, leaving the partners with options to fight or flee. When couples form, they experience feelings of safety. And we all too often confuse the frustration of the present with that of the past. Our brain is like a warehouse, full of unconscious images ( imago in Latin) of both positive and negative events from our childhood. Love is viewed within IRT as nature’s way of putting together two (often) emotionally wounded people who most likely share a vulnerability to heal their wounds and form a whole (Luquet, 2015). The release of the brain stimulant phenylethylamine leads to feelings of euphoria and elation, accompanied by a myriad of other hormonal changes (Marazziti & Canale, 2004 Savulescu & Sandberg, 2008). It provides a heady cocktail of hope and passion, mixed with loss of individuality and confusion. IRT was created by Harville Hendrix in the late 1970s and popularized in his bestselling 1988 book Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples (Hendrix & Hunt, 1988).Ī synthesis of both old and new, IRT combines the best elements of classical psychotherapy and the idea of a natural healing process into marriage and relationship counseling (Hannah et al., 2005 Hendrix & Hunt, 1988).Įarly in a relationship, romantic love is all consuming.
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