The Effect of Spiritual Counseling Based on the Sound Heart Model on Spiritual Experience and Spiritual Intelligence of Military Commanders

Spiritual fitness in combat requires spiritual intelligence to give meaning to life and change the attitude towards crises as a spiritual experience. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of the spiritual counseling of the Sound Heart Model on the spiritual intelligence and spiritual experience of military commanders.

The research method was a clinical trial type. The research population consisted of 98 military commanders of the army, who were selected according to the inclusion criteria through available sampling. They were divided into two groups by random group allocation. The intervention for the experimental group was implemented for 51 weeks with model-based multimedia training with the aim of gaining trust, increasing knowledge, developing communication, and motivation, by means of educational software and follow-up in the virtual network. Before and after the intervention, daily spiritual experiences and spiritual intelligence questionnaires were completed by both groups.

The spiritual intelligence of the commanders of the two groups before the intervention had no significant difference (P = 0.80) (intervention 65.39 ± 4.33 - control 65.15 ± 5.38). But after the intervention, a significant difference was created (P<0.001) (intervention 84.16 ± 2.97 - control 65.41 ± 5.82). There was no significant difference in the spiritual experience of the commanders of the two groups before the intervention (P = 0.92) (intervention 48.08 ± 2.13 - control 48.12 ± 2.36). But after the intervention, the difference was significant (P<0.001) (intervention 67.96 ± 4.18 - control 48.37 ± 2.20).

Considering the effect of spiritual counseling on improving the spiritual intelligence and spiritual experience of military commanders, it is recommended to use the "Sound Heart Model" for the spiritual fitness of military personnel.