Examining the Effectiveness of Nature Metaphor Patterns for Cultivating Intimacy, Acceptance, Relationship...

Effective couple interventions, such as Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and the Relationship Checkup, include the labeling of common relationship patterns. This study hypothesized that a micro-intervention using nature metaphors, such as "Porcupine-Turtle," would produce greater improvements in relationship health relative to descriptive labels such as "Approach-Withdraw." Twenty-five couples were presented with nature metaphor patterns, while 24 couples were presented with descriptive patterns. Several measures of relationship health showed significant improvements across both groups, while other measures showed significant improvements for descriptive patterns only. Generally, nature metaphor patterns were initially rated as more novel and more resonant. Broadly, these results add support for the effectiveness of relationship pattern labeling. The effectiveness of nature metaphor patterns may be improved if introduced with more guidance to help couples capitalize on initial, stronger senses of resonance.