Transform Your Relationship - Part 2: The Imago Match

http://mamanatural.com/ You hear it time and time again...

"You're acting just like my mother!"

"I don't need two fathers, thank you very much!"

"I feel so alone in this marriage... like I did when I was a child."

According to relationship psychologist Harville Hendrix, most people are attracted to mates who have their caregiver's positive and negative traits. He coined the term 'Imago' from the Latin word for image which he describes in his classic book, Getting the Love You Want. It's the image of our caregivers that's impressed in our unconscious that drives our partner selection.

And, in most of Hendrix's cases, the traits that matched up most closely were the negative ones. Which is bizarre. If your parents wounded you by being overly controlling, the natural solution would be to choose a mate who gives you plenty of freedom and space.

But yet, more often than not, people choose just the opposite. They choose overbearing, controlling partners who resemble their parents. Why on earth would we do this?

Well, for starters, it's not our conscious minds that are at play here. No, it's the unconscious that drive this; and most of the time, we don't even realize what's happening until we find ourselves in a relationship that resembles the one we knew as we grew up.

That's exactly what happened to us.

Mike is my Imago match. My friends used to laugh and say that my type was the "sensitive pony-tailed man." And sans the ponytail, Mike was all of these things... sensitive, creative, artistic, kinda like my dad. He was also critical like my dad which felt comfortable to me.

Mike also can be stoic and withdrawn. This reminded me of my mom who wasn't always forthcoming with her emotions. On the positive side, Mike also is very loyal and committed which was a lot like my mom.

And I was Mike's Imago Match. He saw me as charismatic and "a mover and a shaker" like his dad. I was also a little hot under the collar and bossy (I know, I'm working on it) and this was also like Mike's dad.

I was also the "good girl," Christian and somewhat conservative, like like his mom. I can also be the martyr, saddled with responsibility, which is like his mom as well, who was a working, single parent.

Now, it may seem maddening, to be in a relationship with someone who resembles your caregivers. But it actually presents a huge opportunity for your mutual healing, which we'll cover later in this video series so please join us.

How about you? Does your partner resemble some of the positive and negative aspects of her caregivers?

Learn more about IMAGO and find a therapist at: http://gettingtheloveyouwant.com

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[LemurTech]

You guys have done a great job with the material from Getting The Love. My wife and I are working with the book and I think your videos will do a lot to bring the concepts home for her and us as a couple. Thanks!

[MamaNaturalBlog]

@LemurTech Aw, thanks so much. We believe in this book and think more need to know about it! Imagine if doing Imago for troubled couples was like going to AA for alcoholics. We'd see a lot less divorces. Cheers!

[doubleknotproduction]

Wow! Good stuff!(:

[melodicmint]

Wow , this series you're doing is further confirmation about what an amazing couple you guys are. . . sharing so much for the benefit of educating other parents and couples. I am definitely going to read this book with my partner . .