Seeking connection can trigger shame loops in couples: An attachment-based understanding.

Research shows that shame can have a severe negative impact on intimate relationships, leading to negative shame loops between partners. In this article, we aim to provide a theoretical analysis of how attachment theory can help us understand that shame loops within couple relationships may not only be triggered by negative cues, such as criticism from a partner but can also innocently be triggered by a partner seeking connection or even offering comfort. We also elaborate on how therapists may unexpectedly trigger and intensify a client's shame. We conclude by providing a case description and discussing the therapeutic implications that can be helpful when working with the paradoxes of shame in couple therapy.

EFT and Intimate Partner Violence: A Roadmap to De-escalating Violent Patterns.

This article aimed to extend and refine the existing roadmap of emotionally focused therapy (EFT) in cases of situational couple violence (SCV). SCV is a common problem with couples who seek out couple therapy. Based on attachment theory, academic research, EFT, and our clinical experience, we argue that SCV can be safely treated using EFT. Through a detailed case description of stage 1 of EFT with a violent couple, we demonstrate how EFT can help to reduce violence. We also discuss safety-related matters, specific therapeutic interventions, and potential limitations of the proposed method.

Este artículo tiene como finalidad ampliar y perfeccionar la hoja de ruta actual de la terapia centrada en emociones (TCE) en casos de violencia situacional de pareja (VSP). La VSP es un problema común en las parejas que buscan terapia de pareja. Sobre la base de la teoría del apego, la investigación académica, la TCE y nuestra experiencia clínica, sostenemos que la VSP puede tratarse de manera segura usando la TCE. Mediante una descripción detallada de un caso de etapa 1 de TCE con una pareja violenta, demostramos cómo la TCE puede contribuir a reducir la violencia. También comentamos asuntos relacionados con la seguridad, las intervenciones terapéuticas específicas y las posibles limitaciones del método propuesto.

The no conclusion intervention for couples in conflict.

Dealing with difference is central to all couple therapy. This article presents an intervention designed to assist couples in handling conflict. Central to this approach is the acceptance that most conflicts cannot be solved. Couples are in need of a different understanding of couples conflict. This understanding is found in the analysis of love in context and in relational dialectics. Couples are guided through different steps: deciding on the valence of the issue as individuals, helping them decide which differences can be resolved and which issues demand new ways of living with the inevitable, and the introduction in the suggested no conclusion dialogue. This article briefly describes the five day intensive couple therapy program, in which the no intervention is embedded. The theoretical foundation of the intervention, followed by the step by step description of the intervention forms the major part of the article. A case vignette illustrates this approach.