“But what does Imagery /rescripting (IR) actually do that makes it so powerful?”,
my supervisee asked recently. It’s a good question, especially given that IR is one
of the central components of Schema Therapy. Schema Therapy (ST) is an
integrative theory of practice that draws from many perspectives, including
Experiential therapies, to access and heal painful past experiences and memories.
So what does it actually do, as my supervisee asked? IR exercises harness the
power of the imagination and visualization to identify schemas and modes and
modify traumatic memories. We go back to the original memory in a “safe” way,
and using our imagination, we find empowerment, safety, and comfort by
approaching the memory from a different angle—one of support, validation and
meeting the need of the traumatized client. In so doing, we change the meaning
that the aversive memory has, and therefore reduce negative feelings associated
with it.
This is so poignant, especially with traumatized clients. Think of a woman who
remembers her child self with loathing and contempt: “I was not a good
kid—messy, moody, and angry a lot—no wonder my parents didn’t spend a lot of
time with me!” Now imagine that she goes back to a memory of being
”moody”—and finds herself as a child alone in her room, where it turns out, she
spent most of her childhood while her parents were drinking downstairs. She
sees a sad girl, lonely and alone, wanting only to be loved and please her parents,
who are pretty much oblivious to her. Perhaps her therapist has the adult woman
enter the memory, and comfort the child, show her that it’s not her fault she’s
alone, and maybe even have the adult woman confront the parents in the
memory. The adult client suddenly “sees” that what happened wasn’t because
she wasn’t good enough, and she is able to begin to make better sense of many of
her experiences in adult relationships that relate to that old underlying belief.
It is quite astounding to see the transformation brought about by IR. I remember
the first time I did it in my Certification training. The emotion that good imagery
elicits is what makes it so powerful, and being able to be in that moment with the
“child” lets the therapist gain access to underlying beliefs and memories in a way
that is very hard to do without this technique.
The good news is that Dr Joan Farrrell is presenting to the STTC on “Powerful
Imagery Rescripting Techniques” on October 19. Come and join us as we brush
up and refreshen our skills in this critical area. Sign up soon while there are still
spots available!
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