The domain of the implicit in couples and couple therapy

Recent advances through the development of psychoanalysis and family system theory, in addition to the discoveries made by neuroscience and infant research, create broad convergences in our understanding of the human experience. An important convergence has been achieved through our understanding of the implicit modalities of experience, particularly with respect to emotional communication. Through the perspective of the couple and couple therapy, this paper examines the ways in which family and couple relational models are implemented in the domain of action, through unconscious and implicit communication processes. Having understood that the nature of the implicit experience is such that only through action does it become accessible, I will argue that much of what we have stored in the domain of the implicit remains inserted and acted upon in the most intimate relationships and consequently can only become accessible in the context of those relationships. I will then explore some implications of implicit processes in relation to the triad formed by the therapist and the couple in therapy.