Imago Offers Something Special for Couples of Color
Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) founded by Dr. Harville Hendrix and his wife Dr. Helen Lakelly Hunt is unlike traditional couples therapy, in that we do not view couples in terms of pathology or simply look for a diagnosis to explain their struggles and conflicts. IRT holds a human relational view that “we are born in relationship, we are wounded in relationship and we heal again in relationship.” IRT offers interracial couples a theoretical and cultural perspective that allows them to retain a vision that is larger than the intolerance and prejudices that are around them at any given moment.
IRT offers interracial couples an easily understandable and adaptable philosophy of relationships along with the appropriate communication and problem solving skills. IRT philosophy give interracial couples a reason for their love and their frustrations and why, in most cases, it is better to work things out than to split up the relationship. IRT offers a clear means to connect, to understand and respond to the frustrations and heal from the vulnerabilities developed in childhood. Couples can learn in 6 to 12 sessions and are able to find relief and hope.
Imago Relationship Therapy is Countercultural
The illusion of our separateness and our differences is what brings couples to therapy. They don’t feel connected to one another, nor do they experience a seamless connection with nature or the world around them. They feel isolated, disjointed, alienated, and lonely. Their relationship is characterized as “Me” versus “You.”
The something special that Imago offers interracial couples is the opportunity through a safe and structured process called Imago Intentional Dialogue. Imago guides couples in using the partnership as a resource for healing, creative problem solving, and growth, enabling personal fulfillment as the partners deepen their commitment.
Using Imago principles and practices, interracial couples can emancipate each other from the learned social and cultural messages and biases around racial and ethnic differences that frequently lead to violence and daily microaggressions.
Imago emboldens two distinct individuals embodying ethnic and cultural realities to co-define the meaning of race and racial identity within an intimate context, leading to personal and relational healing.