本研究拓展「感情增溫」的工作架構，探究如何運用感情增溫協助外遇伴侶修復受傷的關係，並釐清具體工作方式與諮商歷程。研究採個案研究法，邀請一對經歷外遇事件的夫妻進行10次伴侶諮商，透過每回諮商後由伴侶與心理師分別填寫之自評問卷，以及對心理師的事後訪談，釐清諮商歷程與工作藍圖，整理出可促進外遇伴侶諮商中關係增溫的五項工作任務，以及心理師如何協助伴侶進行感情增溫，最後提出一個將感情增溫運用在外遇伴侶諮商的工作架構。<p>研究結果：在外遇伴侶諮商中進行感情增溫的五項任務是：資源、解方、意願、清創、更新；每項任務皆可分為四步驟：聚焦可增溫面向、深化伴侶對議題的理解、核對伴侶知覺或行動可行性、提煉出對修復關係有幫助的內涵。根據結果本研究主張：（1）相較於修復外遇創傷，重建伴侶關係更基礎、更優先；（2）外遇伴侶需要修復的不只安全感與信任感，還有情感交流管道；（3）外遇伴侶諮商工作重點可放在重建與修復關係，不一定要透過道歉與原諒，以避免引發更多衝突及創傷反應。

This study builds on a previously established counseling model, ‘Rekindling Bonding between a Couple’ (Hsiao, 2016), by applying it to couples affected by infidelity who are seeking professional help. This study aimed to specify the counseling process and delineate interventions to help couples who have been experienced extramarital affairs repair their damaged relationships.<p>Research methodology: This study employed a single-case study design, recruited one married couple who had experienced infidelity a few months before the study, and conducted ten sessions of couple counseling with this couple. During the treatment, both the counselor and the couple filled out self-assessment questionnaires immediately after each session. The counselor was also interviewed to specify their therapeutic map after every three counseling sessions to help clarify the counseling process, including the inner working blueprints of the counselor, the major tasks the counselor was trying to achieve, and how the counselor facilitated the rekindling process. The goal was to propose a working framework for applying ‘Rekindling Bonding between a Couple’ with extramarital affair couples. All the counseling sessions were video recorded and then transcribed verbatim. The first researcher sat in to collect markers of the counseling process in field notes, while the second researcher conducted the sessions as the counselor.<p>Research results: Based on the analysis of the above data, this study proposes a framework for rekindling damaged bonds in couples who experience infidelity issues. The framework consists of five counseling tasks: Resourcing, Resolving, Willing, Debriding, Renovating (R.R.W.D.R.). ‘Resourcing’ aims to strengthen the relational foundation that the couple has been accumulating, and highlight positive changes that have been occurring after the affair, to enhance the strength of their relationship; ‘Resolving’ aims to identify the most pressing issues the couple is facing and work collaboratively toward solutions; ‘Willing’ helps the couple receive their spouse’s willingness to work on repairing their relationship; ‘Debriding’ aims to ease the psychological trauma and pain caused by the affair; ‘Renovating’ aims to help couples explore new ways of communicating to enrich their connection, and to have both spouses pay attention to the progress in their relationship to gain confidence to keep working on their relationship.<p>In the rekindling counseling process, each of the above five tasks is implemented through the following four smaller steps (F.D.V.H.): (1) Focusing on the promising aspects that can rekindle the relationship, to avoid the common disturbance of falling into disputes over trivial matters; (2) Deepening the other partner’s understanding of the issue in question, to shift perspectives over the affair and their relationship; (3) Verifying the other partner’s perception of the feasibility of the proposed actions, to increase the occurrence of new behaviors for bonding; (4) Highlighting content that is helpful for repairing the relationship, so that the couple pays more attention to bonding with each other, rather than on finding fault with each other.<p>According to the research results, this study argues that: (1) establishing bonding is more essential and should have a higher priority than working on trauma reactions for couples with infidelity issues, as some existing literature has suggested; (2) couples with infidelity crises need to work on repairing or creating multiple bonding channels, in addition to repairing their sense of security and trust; and (3) apology and forgiveness are often considered inevitable elements in treating couples with infidelity triggered relational trauma in current counseling practices, with the risk of triggering severe conflicts and re-traumatization during therapy or fierce resistance from one of the spouses. This study proposes to help these couples by prioritizing and focusing on reinforcing the bonding between them as an alternative way to repair the damaged relationship.