For many couples in recovery, relationships are a “shock and awe” experience. You cannot believe that this wonderful person appears to be as in love as you are. Everything seems perfect … until you are hit with the first emotional explosion. This person who seems perfect, who you have fallen in love with, suddenly changes and you are confronted with a person you don’t know. This angry, cold person tells you, “You’re selfish and self-centered,” or s/he accuses you of being unfaithful and screams, “I don’t need this … this relationship is over!” And you feel like you have been punched in the stomach. What you have just experienced is the “shock” of relationship. Most people experience this type of emotional explosion in their relationship.
Childhood and the Impact on Adult Relationships in Recovery
AA’s, Alanon’s and Adult Children of Alcoholics develop patterns of behavior during childhood that have been unconsciously carried over into their adult life. As children they were taught to cover up the family secret(s) and suppress their feelings. They are incredible actors who learn to say the right things, do the right things and play the part to make everyone believe they are okay. Therefore high stress interactions, fear, confusion and unpredictability can muddy the relational waters and make it difficult to recognize that the current situation is actually different from past childhood experiences.
Imago Recovering Couples Workshop
As an Advanced Imago Clinician Imago and Imago Workshop Presenter, I am delighted to offer this introductory workshop to the recovery community. This introductory workshop is educational (not group therapy) and designed for both couples and individuals in recovery. Based on the best-selling book “Getting the Love You Want” by Dr. Harville Hendrix and his wife Dr. Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D’s, Imago theory is grounded in what is known as the “Relational Paradigm.” This workshop will not only help participants gain insight into these distortions and emotional explosions in relationships, but also teach them how to change problematic behaviors so they can live deep and meaningful lives.
This Workshop will help you if in relationships you …
- Get close –then push your partner away.
- Misunderstand what your partner says to you.
- Make assumptions that sometimes have no basis in reality.
- Tell your partner what you think they want to hear rather than the true story.
- Assume negative and catastrophic outcomes.
- Have difficulty communicating how you feel.
- Have a desire to learn new relationship skills.
How Does Change Happen?
This workshop, specifically designed for the recovery population, combines both intellectual, emotional insight and spiritual principles into their relationships using a proven effective communication tool: the Imago Recovery Couples Dialogue, a 3-step structured process. Learning the Dialogue emotionally creates safe, secure, healthy relationships in recovery. Using the Imago Recovery Couples Dialogue, participants learn how to talk without blaming and criticizing and how to listen without judging, misinterpreting and analyzing.
This Workshop will help you:
- Discover how the unconscious forces that attract you to your partner are also the source of conflict.
- Learn and practice new relational skills using the Imago Recovery Couples Dialogue.
- Develop an increased compassion and understanding for your partner.
- Discover how to stay connected to your partner as you work a 12 step program.
- We clearly define what healthy relationships look like while teaching equality and respect in partnership.
This workshop includes short lectures, writing exercises, practicing the skills with your partner, meeting couples on the same path, and laughter. It is designed to be highly interactive and meaningful. Confidentiality is maintained at the highest level.
When: Saturday, September 21, 2019
Location: Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main St. Suite 1208, Pawtucket, RI 02860
Time: 11:30am – 2:30pm
Cost: $50.00 per couple and $25.00 for single individuals. Tuition includes materials.
Phone: 401-782-7899
Workshop Presenter(s): Paula M. Smith, M.Div., M.A., MFT, Certified Imago Therapist, Workshop Presenter, Clinical Researcher, Published Author and Yael Bat-Shimon, M.A., LMHC, Certified Imago Therapist and Workshop Presenter.
To register as a couple click here. Individuals click here. Once you’ve completed your payment you will receive a confirmation email with all the details.
About the Presenters
Paula is in private practice at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket RI with a focus on teaching non-recovery and recovery couples Imago skills and way of life. Yael is a therapist at Fuller Hospital in Attleboro, MA, where she facilitates groups using Imago and recovery concepts and skills with patients recovering from alcoholism, addiction and mental health issues. Yael also sees couples part-time in private practice.
Paula and Yael are the co-Founders of Imago Relationships Providence, where they offer One-Day & Weekend Workshops as well as Couples Private Intensive Therapy Sessions, weekly therapy and relationship education designed to bring Imago to couples, individuals and families affected by the disease of addiction. It is their goal to use the skills of Imago Recovery Couples Dialogue as a way to build secure, healthy relationships in Recovery. They view the Imago dialogue as an invaluable tool for AA’s and Al-Anon’s to build a safe connection, opening up space for empathy, love, passion and fun.
Together Paula and Yael have over 40 years of recovery and maintain active personal relationships with 12-Step Programs, including AA and Al-Anon. Married 10 years, we have two Green-Cheeked Conures Niles & Reggie. Paula and Yael agree Imago has tremendously enhanced their marriage and their Recovery programs.