What is Hold Me Tight®?
Hold Me Tight® is a 2-day Intensive for couples. The workshop is a mix of psychoeducation about the science of attachment, private conversations with your partner facilitated by IMF therapists, and experiential exercises that will fill your toolbox and jumpstart new, safe patterns of relating.
You said private conversations?
Yes! Dr. Sue Johnson created Hold Me Tight® around 7, short conversations you’ll have with your partner. Some topical material will be presented, we’ll discuss as a group, answer questions, and then you and your partner will walk through each conversation in a private setting. Should you run into a roadblock, you won’t be alone! We’ll be waiting to jump in and help.
Is it therapy?
Great question! Yes and no. The workshop is led by EFT-trained couple’s therapists and you have access to all the therapists present throughout the weekend should you need some help facilitating one of the conversations with your partner. It is not traditional talk-therapy like you may do with your therapist in weekly sessions. It may not be “as deep.” The emotional experience is more structured and the content is presented to the group of couples as a whole. However, the structure is where change happens safely. The material and conversations build upon each other in content and vulnerability, so by day 2, you’re ready to dive back in without the nerves you may have felt at the beginning of day 1.
So it’s skill-building?
Also, yes and no. You’ll definitely leave with some new skills that you can use when you get stuck in your cycle at home (you’ll hear us use that word a lot). The way you’ll develop the skills, though, is through experiences at Hold Me Tight®. You’ll actually try them on and utilize them before you even know what you’re doing. Some participants call it “the magic.”
What’s “attachment science?”
EFT is rooted in Attachment Theory. To spare you the clinical definition, attachment science looks at relational bonds developed between people and how those bonds endure and change over time. Sometimes the bonds rupture, due to hurt or loss, and then if and when the rupture is repaired, we return to safety and security in the relationship. When we don’t experience repair, our bodies feel lost in the world – we miss “our person,” and for some, we’ve never experienced this kind of attachment we’re talking about right now. Emotionally Focused Therapy and Hold Me Tight® encourages us to identify and repair broken bonds and to help each other feel accepted, safe, and loved, once again.
How much does it cost?
Each workshop varies in price, but the average cost for a couple is between $600-$900 for the 2-day workshop. Light breakfast and snacks are typically provided and a lunch break is provided. If you are a math person, the “hourly session fee” for this workshop is about $65.
How do I know if we’re eligible? Feel free to fill out the Contact Us form and one of our couple’s therapists will have a short, screening conversation with you to make sure Hold Me Tight® can be helpful for your relationship. If you and your partner are in a high-conflict season and trying to decide whether or not to end your relationship, this workshop may not be the best fit for you at this time.