What is Imagery Rescripting and Why is it Gaining Momentum in Psychology?

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In contrast to traditional talking therapy, imagery rescripting is designed to make clients directly re-experience emotional situations from the past. This technique is gaining momentum in psychology due to its powerful effect on client’s emotions, which is increasingly being found to promote recovery from a range of mental health conditions.

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Could I benefit from Imagery Rescripting? 

Signs that Imagery rescripting may be beneficial to you: 

• You have experienced chronic psychological concerns 
• Previous therapy has not helped you in the way you needed 
• You often find there is a disconnect between the way you think and feel e.g. ‘I know I am not defective, but I feel that way’ 
• You find it hard to talk about emotional topics 
• You think that your past experiences may be impacting you now (including childhood) 
• You experience unhelpful patterns in your life e.g. multiple relationships with similar themes, a consistently unresolved belief or feeling
• You have some unhelpful coping behaviours you would like to work on e.g. avoiding emotional topics, addictions, people pleasing

Memories are linked to mental health conditions 

Many people have experienced distressing or painful memories from their past. This could range from experiences such as bullying, criticism, isolation, failure, abuse (physical, sexual or emotional), abandonment, inconsistent care, grief, or other forms of injustice or maltreatment. 

While it is common to have such experiences, we are often not given the tools to process this experience well at the time. Perhaps we felt too ashamed to talk about it, or our loved ones did not have the ability to help us. When this occurs, it can lead to the development of unpleasant emotions such as sadness, guilt or shame. We can also form unhelpful messages about ourselves from these experiences. For example, we might think that we are at fault for what occurred, or that it meant that we were defective, or nobody cared about us. 

Sometimes these unhelpful emotions and messages carry through with us for a long time. Even years later, we can know logically that these thoughts are not true, but we can still feel as if they are. This can effect many facets of our lives, including our self-image, our interactions, and how we perceive the world. For example, we might avoid challenging situations for fear that others will see us as a failure. 

While we can never undo what has been done, we can change the way we think and feel about past events through imagery rescripting. 

What are emotional needs?  

Just like our basic physical needs, we also have universal emotional needs. These include the need for stable attachment figures, emotional support, approval, social inclusion, protection against maltreatment, compassion, and to be reassured and hear healthy views on who is to blame, or who should feel guilty or ashamed in different situations. These needs are natural but unfortunately are often unmet. Imagery rescripting allows clients to experience having these needs met. Although this is in imagery, the brain responds to it as a healing experience. 

Imagery is more powerful than talking   

There is a lot of research accumulating to suggest that imagery is a far more effective way to reprocess memories than simply talking about them. This is because when we imagine an event is occurring, it activates the same regions in our brain as if this event was really happening. This effect still takes place when we know the event is imagined. Therefore, our brain is much more impacted when we imagine things than when we talk about them. 

What happens during imagery rescripting? 

Imagery rescripting involves re-imagining painful memories and modifying their outcome. During this technique clients are asked to imagine that their distressing event is happening again. This will continue until the therapist is clear about what is going to take place. At this point the therapist will help the client to explore the meaning of the memory, and rate their feelings and thoughts. The client will then describe what they need to happen in the scene so that they feel less distressed. Together with the therapist, the client will imagine this new version of the scene is occurring, and that all of their emotional needs around the image are met.

Positive benefits of imagery rescripting 

Imagery rescripting has numerous benefits for clients. Importantly, it often triggers many feelings and new insights in clients. While these feelings might initially be uncomfortable, they are a natural reaction and it can be unhelpful to suppress it. This treatment gives clients a safe space to fully experience these feelings  as a natural part of the recovery process. These emotions are not a sign that the treatment isn’t working. In fact they are often a sign that it is. As a result, this technique can help clients feel safer in emotions, and give them the confidence to express the feelings, needs and actions that they may have had to suppress in the past.  

Research on imagery rescripting

Adele Stavropoulos, Clinical Psychologist at Western Sydney Clinical Psychology, examined the use of imagery rescripting to treat distressing memories in depression as part of her PhD research. In her study, 15 clinically depressed clients who experienced regular distressing intrusive memories were given 12 weekly sessions of imagery rescripting.

The results of the study showed 87% of clients experienced a reliable improvement in their depressive symptoms, while 80% of clients no longer met criteria for Major Depressive Disorder at the end of the study. This represents a large effect size. Furthermore clients were also observed to reduce maladaptive thinking patterns of rumination and worry over the course of treatment, despite these patterns not being targeted directly in treatment.  

To find out more about imagery rescripting and how it could benefit you, get in touch.