The Imago Dialogue process is one of the most powerful tools to help couples, not only to learn how to communicate, but to totally transform their relationship.
It’s is an intentional process. This is the opposite of our typical communication where we come from a reactive place.
When we are intentional, we are cognizant of the other.
This means that all because we feel something or want to say something, we must take the other into consideration. We do that by making sure our spouse is available. This sets the tone for a productive conversation. The invitation, or appointment, is half the battle. Instead of catching our spouse off guard and fueling the cycle of reactivity, we set ourselves up for success.
Need some more inspiration? Check out more:
- The Imago Dialogue ensures a therapist won’t take sides
- The Imago Dialogue Script
- Imago Dialogue- does it solve problems?
Once the dialogue begins, we leave our world behind and enter the world of our partner, doing our best to truly listen instead of interpret. We repeat back what our partner says, or mirror, instead of responding. Besides showing that we are listening, our partner feels heard and validated that what they are saying is important.
The Imago Dialogue process provides a structure for couples so that they can open up, feel safe, understood, and reconnect. Long standing issues of 20 or 30 plus years often have a new resolution once discussed in this process. This is because the Imago Dialogue allows couples to get to a more relaxed, cognitive part of their brain. Instead of being in survival mode, on the defensive, and unable to fully listen, the dialogue promotes calm and allows one to hear each other in a way like never before. Many problems get resolved organically without the intervention of the facilitator.
Couples are also able to differentiate. They are able to realize that their partner’s reality and experience is perfectly valid, even if they disagree. The Imago dialogue promotes the reality of the both/and as opposed to either/or. No two people are alike, even a husband and wife. The dialogue helps couples come to grips with their differences without being threatened or allowing them to destroy their relationship. It is a simple, yet extremely powerful tool that saves marriages.
If you’d like to be able to experience the power of the Imago dialogue, with all threats to communication gone and getting the chance to cross over the bridge into each other’s world, where it is safe and deeply healing, talk with us about our private 2 Day Marriage Restoration Retreat. It’s the safest way to begin communicating in a way that is deeper than ever before!
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