Effects of Emotionally-focused Couples Therapy on the Marital Intimacy and Harmony of Maladjusted Couples in Behbahan, Iran

Background: Dissatisfaction with marital relations and an emotional breach between couples increase the risk of divorce. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of emotionally-focused couples therapy on the marital intimacy and harmony of maladjusted couples in Behbahan, Iran. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The sample population included the maladjusted couples vising the counseling centers in Behbahan in 2020. Via convenience sampling, 30 couples were selected and randomly divided into two groups of experimental and control (n = 15 couples per group). Data were collected using the personal assessment of intimacy in relationships and the Marital Harmony Questionnaire. The experimental group received nine sessions of emotionally-focused couples therapy (90-minute sessions, twice a week), and the control group received no intervention. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 25. Results: The mean posttest scores of marital intimacy and harmony were 115.63 ± 10.22 and 31.66 ± 2.21 in the experimental group and 91.39 ± 9.04 and 22.93 ± 2.19 in the control group, respectively. A significant difference was observed between the experimental and control groups in terms of marital intimacy and harmony (P < 0.001). In addition, emotionally-focused couples therapy significantly enhanced marital intimacy and harmony in the experimental group. Conclusions: According to the results, emotionally-focused couples therapy could effectively improve the marital indicators of the maladjusted couples (intimacy and harmony).

Effectiveness of Restoration Therapy in an Intensive Model

The present study represents one of the first empirical studies of an intensive model of Restoration Therapy (RT), an integrative couples’ therapy model built on attachment theory, mindfulness, and emotion regulation. We hypothesized that participation in intensive RT would be associated with increased marital satisfaction both at one-month and twenty-four months post-treatment. Using two-year longitudinal self-report data collected from heterosexual, married couples ( N = 118), the current study's findings extend previous work by demonstrating the effectiveness of RT performed in an intensive model to improve couples’ reported sense of marital satisfaction following completion of the intensive, a result that was sustained twenty-four months after completion of treatment.

Couple Therapy With MDMA—Proposed Pathways of Action

MDMA's first identified potential as a therapeutic catalyst was for couple therapy. Early work in the 1970s and 1980s explored its potential amongst seasoned psychotherapists and their clients. With the completion of the first pilot trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with couples for PTSD, and as the possibility of conducting MDMA-assisted psychotherapy trials expands due to new regulatory frameworks, we have an opportunity to explore and investigate how and why MDMA-assisted couples therapy works. This theoretical paper will explore the neurobiological and neurochemical effects of MDMA in a relational context, the emotional, behavioral, cognitive and somatic effects within a dyadic frame, and how empathy, communication, perception of social connection/support, non-avoidance, openness, attachment/safety, bonding/social intimacy and relationship satisfaction, are all impacted by MDMA, and can be harnessed to facilitate systems-level and interpersonal healing and growth. A model to support MDMA-assisted couple therapy is introduced, and future directions, including implications for intervention development and delivery, will be elucidated.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and Self-compassion-based Therapy On Emotion Regulation In Women Affected by Infidelity

Background: Marital infidelity is a crisis for couples and families. identifying an effective treatment approach at the lowest cost can be effective in preventing and intervening in injuries caused by infidelity. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion-based couple therapy and self-compassion-based therapy on emotion regulation in women affected by infidelity. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was designed as pre-test-post-test with follow-up. The study population included all couples involved in marital infidelity who referred to Iranmehr Counseling and Psychological Services Center in Rasht, Iran in 2020, from which 20 couples were selected as the sample by available sampling method. Granfsky emotion regulation questionnaire was used to collect data and emotion-focused couple therapy sessions and self-compassion-based therapy were performed for 16 sessions of 4 hours (one treatment every two hours) on a weekly basis. After three months of treatment sessions, couples also participated in a follow-up session in order to measure the duration of treatment. Data were analyzed using combined analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that both therapies are effective in increasing the emotional regulation of couples, but there is no significant difference between emotion-oriented couples therapy and compassion-based therapy on emotion regulation (F = 1.57 and P = 0.218). Conclusion: Both treatment approaches in counseling centers were very effective in helping incompatible couples to improve and reduce marital problems, increasing satisfaction, especially in couples affected by infidelit