What is Imago?

Whoever makes up your family—two adults with no children, parents and children, multiple people in a polyamorous relationship, or any other combination—I want to help you have a happier, healthier, more loving home!

Relationships can be difficult, especially with those you love. Add trauma, loss, separation, or change and things can get really tough. Many of us manage to get through hard times on our own, but at what cost? When just making it becomes exhausting or the light at the end of the tunnel seems dim and too far away, it's time to reach out for help. It takes a great deal of courage to get support, but the sooner you gather enough strength to act, the better for you and for your family.

​Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT) was created by Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D. author of the best-selling “Getting the Love You Want: A Guide For Couples” (1988).

​The term Imago is Latin for “image,” and refers to the “unconscious image of familiar love.” Simply put, there is often a connection between the frustrations experienced in adult relationships and early childhood experiences. For example: If you frequently felt criticized as a child, you will likely be sensitive to any criticism from, and feel criticized often by, your partner. Likewise, if you felt abandoned, smothered, neglected, etc., these feelings will come up in your marriage/committed relationships.

​Most people face only a few of these “core issues,” but they typically arise again and again within partnerships. This can overshadow all that is good in the relationship, leaving people to wonder if they have chosen the right mate. So here is the good news: When you can understand each other’s feelings and childhood wounds more empathically, as well as understanding how you are contributing to the negative cycle in your relationship, you can begin to heal yourself and your relationship, and move toward a more intentional and conscious partnership.

​An Imago Therapist can help you do this by teaching the “Imago Dialogue” process and helping you move from blame and reactivity to understanding and empathy. With this process, you can transform conflicts into opportunities for healing and growth, and connect more deeply and lovingly with your intimate partner.*