RESEARCH
The Lived Experiences Of Couples by Dr. James Kasten
The Problem
Marriage therapists, clergy, relationship coaches, and relationship educators have a heart for helping couples thrive in their relationships. Many professionals and paraprofessionals provide workshops to help educate and equip their couples with tools to have a thriving relationship. Unfortunately, many of these workshops are lecture-based with little active participation. Research has shown that adults learn through experiential learning. Furthermore, research has shown that building healthy, secure attachment must involve transformative emotional experiences.
Reference: Kasten, J. (2021).
A phenomenological study exploring the lived experiences of couples attending experiential, attachment-based premarital workshops. Liberty University.
The Findings
The Lasting Connection® workshop and Lasting Connection System® mats address the shortcomings of premarital and relationship workshops by helping couples learn how to have attachment-building conversations that will strengthen their relationship over time. By conducting a phenomenological study of couples that attended a Lasting Connection® workshop, the researcher recorded their experiences first-hand.
Every couple interviewed could describe the experiential exercises with their partner in great detail. Every couple interviewed also reported experiencing strong emotional connection through their experiential activities, therefore, strengthening their loving bond with each other.
More importantly, each couple reported that not only did they create a deeper relationship with their partner, but they maintained the gains from attending the workshop. The results from this research revealed that the Lasting Connection System® mats accomplishes the goal of equipping couples to have attachment-building conversations and strengthening their relationship over time.
Outcomes of Building a Lasting Connection®: A Pilot Study by Genny Lou-Barton
The Study
This two-year follow up study (that occurred across Covid) evaluated the effect of the Lasting Connection® workshop and Lasting Connection System® on participants who did and did not practice with the Lasting Connection System® at home. Workshop results improved cohesion in all couples with the biggest improvement in couples scores going from distressed to non-distressed levels. Couples who used the Lasting Connection System® at home at least one to two times after the workshop improved in all areas; Consensus (decision making, affection and values) Satisfaction and Cohesion, compared to those couples who did not use the Lasting Connection System® at home.
The Findings
The findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of the Lasting Connection® workshop and Lasting Connection System® in bolstering couples functioning and relationship satisfaction, and the use of the Lasting Connection System® as a take-home tool to increase affection, improve decision making and support long-term change in relationship satisfaction.
Reference: Lou-Barton, G. (2022). Outcomes of Building a Lasting Connection®: A pilot study, California School of Professional Psychology, and Alliant International University
You Can Have and Use These Tools Too
Strengthen and build connection bonds by providing the Lasting
Connection® workshop to couples, one couple at a time or in a group
setting. Or utilize the Lasting Connection System® on it’s own as a home or in-office
tool to strengthen attachment, communication and problem
solving.
Lasting Connection® Workshop & Lasting Connection System® Developers
Rebecca Jorgensen, PhD
Debi Gilmore, PhD