Imagery Rescripting (ImRS)

Imagery Rescripting (ImRS) is an experiential technique that uses visual imagery to update unwanted and painful memories.

Using imagery in therapy was first pioneered by Pierre Janet in 1889. Jeffrey Young utilised and expanded the technique into imagery rescripting, initially as a step in schema therapy which he then adapted into a standalone therapy known as ImRS.

Imagery rescripting aims to assist the client to:

• Understand where their current difficulties come from
• Connect what they are going through now to their earlier experiences (for example, negative or upsetting childhood experiences)
• Develop compassion for their child self (and ultimately compassion for their adult self)
• Shift unhelpful core beliefs about themselves, others, or the world
• Begin learning to meet their own needs with compassion

Imagery rescripting is not about assigning blame, but developing self-compassion.

When it comes to trauma, research suggests that Imagery Rescripting can be as effective for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to childhood trauma as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), a widely used trauma therapy.

The goal of imagery rescripting:

The goal of the imagery rescripting is to lay the painful memories and associated feelings to rest. By being “laid to rest”, the person will hopefully find:

• They are not as attached to the memory anymore
• They are not as distressed by the memory
• The emotional intensity associated with the memory is reduced
• The memory or image is less frightening/overwhelming
• The memory or image comes up less often, or hardly at all
• Fewer nightmares, or none at all

What is ImRS useful for?

• Upsetting or unwanted memories
• PTSD and cPTSD
• Nightmares
• Phobias

What about false memories?

Imagery rescripting is not about uncovering repressed or forgotten memories. Therapies that uncover repressed/forgotten memories are highly controversial and have been shown to create false trauma memories.

Skilful trauma therapists will avoid implanting false memories by:

• Never leading the client (suggesting that a particular type of trauma may have occurred, providing possible details or specifics, suggesting possible perpetrators etc.)
• Avoiding the suggestion of repressed memories

Instead, imagery rescripting focuses on processing the memories that the client already has but is avoiding thinking or talking about.

Isn’t memory unreliable?

This is a tricky one. In short, yes. Memory (especially when it comes to specifics) can be unreliable. That said, in our experience, people who have experienced trauma often doubt whether their trauma was real or whether they remember it accurately. The potential inaccuracies of memory have also been used to undermine legitimate claims of abuse.

Schema imagery is not about establishing the specifics or assigning blame, it is about processing the feelings associated with the memory, that is, the client’s individual experience of the memory.

For example, let’s say a person named Emily has upsetting memories of her father yelling at her as a child. As an adult, Emily may come to find that her father had hearing difficulties, causing him to talk in a raised voice. Regardless of the facts of the matter, Emily has experiences and memories of being yelled at that may have shaped how she sees herself and the world.

Imagery rescripting is ideal when:

• It is being delivered by an experienced trauma therapist
• The client trusts and feels safe with the therapist
• The client has at least one self-soothing skill that works for them
• The therapist and client have discussed the pros and cons of imagery rescripting and make a joint decision to proceed (cons include a temporary increase in distress or trauma responses)

How does it work?

Often (but not always), the therapist will start by using imagery to help the client find a safe place. This is a place in which the client feels grounded.

For a safe place imagery exercise, go to: https://mindfulnesspractice.tumblr.com/search/safe

This safe place can be used as an anchor point, typically before and after imagery rescripting.

In a typical schema imagery session, the client will be asked to visualise an upsetting memory. They will be guided through the specifics of the memory, such as the age of occurrence, details about the location etc.

After describing what took place in the memory, the client will then be guided to connect with the feelings associated with the memory.

The therapist and client will then explore what the child needed at the time i.e. what needs were not met. Examples could include, a hug, reassurance etc.

The client is then guided to choose a safe person (can be a doctor, therapist, celebrity, or fictional character) to enter the memory (with the client’s permission) to act in a parental role and give the client the assistance they needed at the time. In schema therapy, this is known as limited reparenting.

In memories associated with severe trauma, the client may opt to have two safe people (eg. psychologist and psychiatrist) with one acting as a carer by giving the client the support they need, and the other acting as a protector by confronting the perpetrator.

The aim here is to assist the client to develop empathy for their child self and identify their needs and how to meet them (as these unmet needs are often replicated in adulthood).

The client and therapist will then discuss how the experience affects their life today, and how they might meet their needs now as an adult.

With practice, the client will get more confident and articulate with identifying and meeting their needs, and ideally, will no longer need the support person to enter the memory but will do so themselves as their adult self. That is, visualise themselves now reassuring and comforting their child self, being the only person who can truly know what that child is feeling.

What does it feel like?

People who have done schema imagery often describe it as a powerful and emotionally moving experience. It makes it very difficult to intellectualise the memory (very common for people who have experienced trauma), and people are often surprised at how emotionally touching the experience is.

While it can bring up distress, people often say this distress comes with feelings of validation, lightness or legitimacy, and it can create shifts in someone’s core beliefs and the way they see themselves as a child and an adult now in the world.

How long does imagery rescripting take?

This depends on the intensity and number of memories. Some people may need to process the same memory many times before it can be laid to rest.

For people with many memories, it is important to understand that every single memory does not need to be processed. It is about using imagery to connect with and validate key feelings.