Comparison of the effectiveness of experience-based therapy package with compassion-based therapy on happiness and rumination in depressed Patients

Considering the importance of happiness and rumination in increasing the level of mood, the present study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of experience-based therapy package with compassion-based therapy on happiness and rumination in depressed patients.

The research method was a semi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and follow-up design and three groups. The statistical population of the study included depressed patients who had come to Sepahan Counseling Services Center in Esfahan city in the spring and summer of 2018 so that 45 of them were selected using convenient sampling method and randomly assigned into three groups including experimental groups 1 (experience-based therapy package), experimental groups 2 (compassion-based therapy) and the control group.Experimental group 1 received sixteen 45-minute sessions and experimental group 2 received ten 90-minute sessions treatment according to compassion-based therapy and experience-based therapy package. The research tools were Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Response Styles Questionnaire and Self-Compassion Scale-short form.The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The findings showed that in the post-test and follow-up after pre-test control, there was a significant difference between experimental groups1, experimental groups 2 and the control group in happiness and rumination but there was no significant difference between experimental groups 1 and experimental groups 2.

Considering the effectiveness of experience-based therapy and compassion-based therapy in increasing happiness and reducing rumination, the use of either approach can be useful and effective. Given the number and length of sessions in each approach, the use of a concise approach depending on the situation can be considered by therapists.