The Effectiveness of Communication Imagery Training (Imago Therapy) Approach on Post-Traumatic Growth and Development in Couples with Spouse Infidelity

Background and Aim: Marital infidelity is a shocking issue for couples and families and a common phenomenon for counselors and therapists. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the communication imagery (imago therapy) training approach on post-traumatic growth and development in couples with marital infidelity. Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study was carried out on two experimental and control groups with a pretest and posttest design. The statistical population of the study included all the women referring to one of the counseling centers in Tehran, during 2018-2019 due to marital conflicts, problems related to satisfaction, and the need for the improvement of marital relationships. They were selected by convenient sampling method. Imago therapy treatment was performed in 10 weekly sessions (90 minutes) for participants in experimental group. The control group was placed on a waiting list. Data were collected based on post-traumatic growth and development questionnaire and descriptive and inferential statistical methods and multivariate analysis of covariance were used using SPSS.22 software. Results: The results showed that communication imagery training (imago therapy) was effective on post traumatic growth and development (F=92.17, P 0.001) in couples with infidelity. Conclusion : It can be concluded that communication imagery training (imago therapy) helps couples to acquire skills to heal past wounds and separate marital relationships from past influences by understanding their unconscious processes.