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What Lies
Just for Couples
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Coaptive Therapy
Coaptive Therapy is our couples counseling approach. The word "coapt" means to bind together two sides of a wound for healing, as in suturing. The basis of this approach is on using the couple as supportive healing partners through prayer and intercession, providing each partner a greater understanding of their individual wounds and offering them a shared experience of healing through Jesus Christ.
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Partners in Healing
Coaptive Therapy focuses on joining two wounded individuals as support for each other through the process of the healing of personal wounds. The approach is supported by the extensive research of Susan M. Johnson (1989-2000), who found significant benefits from using couples therapy as part of treatment for abuse survivors. She proposed the spouse acting as a supportive agent in the treatment process for the abuse survivor through couples counseling. Coaptive Therapy expands on this concept in two important ways: first, that the intimate relationship of marriage can be a vehicle for facilitating healing of many different types of wounds for both partners, and not just for the abuse survivor; second, and most important, that no healing will take place in either individual without the action and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the healing process. |
They will soar on wings like eagles
Isaiah 40:31 |
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Wounded Individuals Create a Wounded Marriage
We make the assumption that the lies believed in the hearts of two individuals in a marriage result in repetitive themes being played out in the relationship each time an emotional response is triggered. Each individual's pain from their wounds, brought with them into their marital partnership, generates painful responses and behaviors in the present relationship. The individual lies are acted out in the relationship, particularly in times of conflict or emotional distress. In fact, the interactions of these lies create the systemic dynamics through which the individuals interact. So in addition to their individual pain, the partners also experience the systemic pain generated by the interactions of the lies they each believe. |
In the Same Boat
...and Jesus calms the storm... |
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The Healing Power of the Lord
Healing the systemic conflicts in a marriage comes through the Lord Jesus bringing truth to the hearts of both individuals and into the interactional dynamics of the relationship. Coaptive Therapy expands the healing process to include the couple understanding the lies of their partner as well as their own lies in order to see how the systemic conflicts were created. Then the partners act as support for each other while healing through Jesus takes place. Couples are taught how to create an environment conducive to healing, to intercede for their partner in prayer, to act as prayer partners on an ongoing basis, and to participate in each other's healing process. Through this process, the partners are bonded closer together and become each other's trusted support system, with and through Jesus Christ. |
Jesus Brings Light into Darkness |
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