ABSTRACT
Couples often carry out combative behavior, common to their daily interaction, within the therapy setting. It is as if they are saying, “You are the expert, listen to us persuade you who is right, then you can pass judgment.” While a variety of techniques may be appropriate in altering a combative dynamic, it is logical to assume that couples will only be able to manage conflictual issues when the emotional climate has been neutralized and the interactional dialogue has been altered. Trance and transformation is an intervention strategy designed for verbally combative couples and involves two intervention strategies, Take Five and Empathy Training. Although these intervention strategies may be carried out together or separately, this chapter suggests that the most effective and efficient method to move couples towards practical conflict management strategy involves their combined use.
