Making Marriage Simple

January 21, 2013
Odd couple Hendrix and Hunt, whose groundbreaking Getting the Love You Want is wildly popular with marriage counselors everywhere, bring their Imago Relationship Therapy method and personal experiences to this easy-to-understand handbook for creating and maintaining a “Partnership Marriage.” Lightened by a cartoon couple’s relationship conversations and whimsical descriptions of personality types (e.g., the Turtle and the Hailstorm), the book advocates a relationship in which each member helps the other recapitulate and recover from the emotional wounds of childhood. The overall message—built on an enthusiastic notion of marriage as the core institution of society and following a structure of specific communication exercises—is one that divorce-happy America may not be ready to hear: “the best way to heal a relationship is not to repair the two people, but the Space between them.” Hendrix and Hunt’s focus on gentleness, reflective listening, and removing negativity forms a decidedly common-sense approach to marriage. Base this in a clear and methodical approach, and you’ve got a workable manual for couples committed to doing a better job living a modern married life—for their own sake and their partner’s. Agent: Douglas Abrams, Idea Architects.

March 15, 2013

Best-selling authors and founders of Imago Relationships International Inc., Hendrix (Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples) and Hunt base their latest book on the idea of a "Partnership Marriage" in which partners promote each other's psychological and spiritual growth. Each of the ten chapters is devoted to a relationship truth designed to transform one's marriage. Hendrix, who has more than 40 years of experience as a clinical pastoral counselor, therapist, educator, clinical trainer, and public speaker on marriage and relationship therapy, and his wife, Hunt, a women's activist recognized for her philanthropic contributions in the Women's Hall of Fame, counsel couples using Imago Relationship Therapy, an approach valuing partnership over individualism. Readers will find the "exercise program," which corresponds to each of the truths, a helpful tool for everyday application. Humorous illustrations and straightforward language make this an easy, enjoyable read. VERDICT Recommended for readers looking for a transformative approach to solving marital problems from a couple whose own marriage was saved by a willingness to work at staying together.--Amber Woodard, Cumberland Univ. Lib., Lebanon, TN

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