Intentional Dialogue - Imago Relationship Therapy Explained

Intentional Dialogue - Imago Relationship Therapy Explained

Every couple starts off the same way with an intentional dialogue:
Knee to Knee. Heart to Heart. Eye to Eye.

You must face each other during an important dialogue. It's very important to check in. Ask if now is a good time to talk with your partner. And if it isn’t, make an appointment. Remember to speak in the "I" and not in the "You." One topic should only be used. It shouldn't be a laundry list of things that are going wrong. Below are the key steps with intentional dialogue.

MIRRORING

Once your partner is done speaking to you, you mirror back what they have said. This isn’t only good for the sender to hear, but it’s also good for the receiver, to make sure that they heard and comprehended the message as intended from the sender.

SUMMARY

The receiver then summarizes what their partner said.

VALIDATION

You don't have to let go of what you believe to validate someone else’s feelings. You are two separate people. Understand what the validation does. Hearing that your partner "gets it."

EMPATHY

Understand how that makes your partner feel. Step into their shoes for a second and really try to see it through their lens.

Then you two switch from being the sender to the receiver, and vice versa.

The truth of any situation sort of sits in the middle.. Feelings are not facts. So remember, clear communication is absolutely necessary to understand your partner’s feelings and thoughts.

ROBIN NEWMAN, LCSW-R, PC
Individual, Couples & Family Therapist

The Huntington Relationship & Therapy Center
148 East Main Street Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 421-4701

https://huntingtonrelationshiptherapy.com/

"My approach towards couples is oriented not only towards solving the problems the couple is facing, but to revive the feeling of love and affection they have towards each other."

ABOUT ROBIN NEWMAN:

I am a licensed clinical social worker, Imago relationship therapist, as well as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at Adelphi University. I'm a contributing therapist to Ladies Home Journal Magazine, "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" and the online magazine "Parenting Special Needs, Relationship Rescue".

I work with couples, families and individuals. I'm successful in guiding my patients through anxiety, depression, self-esteem challenges, addictions, and/or family conflicts.

The key for me is always in the patient who has the courage and openness to heal. We all have wounds that can hold us back from creating satisfying relationships. It is a privilege and a blessing to be invited into the lives of others and assist them in having a more productive and healed life.