What does it mean to imagine?
Everyone has the ability to imagine, in fact it represents a possibility and methods of essential functioning of our psychic life.
Thanks to the imagination we can voluntarily view in our mind Memories of the past, events that could happen in the future or create new, even unreal scenes.
The imagination therefore does not necessarily concern only events of the past, but it can also affect future scenes. It can be born voluntarily when we fantastic on something. It can have an intrusive character, as happens when a person suffers from a post traumatic disorder, in which memories arrive unwittingly and disruptively.
The imagination plays a role in the processing of information
In any case and in all its form, the imaginative activity seems to have an important role in the processing of information.
Compared to the methods that use a mainly verbal and cognitive channel, imagination has a greater impact on emotions.
When we imagine something in our brain, the same brain areas are activated that are involved during the experience of real emotional events.
The imagination activates the brain areas involved in the processing of emotions, such as amygdala, to a greater extent than what does not happen in the elaboration of the verbal information.
The same neural circuits are involved that react to specific sensory information, even if this is only imagined.
If we think of the evolutionary perspective, viewing the danger allows our body to take action immediately to react and protect themselves, thus guaranteeing a greater probability of adaptation and survival.
The imagined scenes can be interpreted by our brain like real emotional events, for this reason, work in imagination in a psychotherapeutic path can be very powerful and effective.
Evolution of imaginative techniques in the history of psychotherapy
The imagination and display are practices used since ancient times with different objectives. From facilitating access to more or less aware internal content, to finding personal inspirations and meanings, to regulating one’s internal activity.
In the psychotherapeutic field already in the nineteenth century Janet described guided imagination exercises. Since the seventies, behavioral therapy has developed imagination exercises to be used in the protocols of systematic desensitization and counter -control (van der wijngaart, 2022).
With Young (2007) the imaginative techniques are further developed and integrated into cognitive-behavioral therapy in the form of the IMERY Rescripting that we know today in the psychotherapeutic field.
The Imagory in the Therapy scheme
In recent decades, the imagination has been particularly used and developed in the model of the Therapy scheme, an integrated cognitive behavioral -based approach.
In the Therapy scheme, the symptoms and way of working of the person are analyzed and understood in the light of the experiences of attachment and life.
With the development of the Therapy scheme, the Imagery is developed and applied in the complex of the treatment of personality disorders.
In fact, the imagination -based techniques are part of the experiential techniques and allow to achieve two fundamental objectives:
- Arouse the emotions that are associated with those who are called “early maladative schemes” in the patient.
- Allow the patient to experiment, through the therapist, an alternative of healthy adult who offers the necessary support to process unresolved dysfunctional emotions and satisfy, at least in part, the primary needs whisking in childhood.
Experiential interventions contribute to determining a real change because they allow people to work on a corrective and not only rational emotional level.
Imagory techniques can be used in different therapy phases
In the initial phase of collecting information, evaluation and conceptualization, these techniques allow to better understand the nature of the patient’s problem or suffering.
With the imagination it becomes in fact possible to directly connect the difficult experiences of the present to their origins, creating a real emotional bridge between present and past.
The schemes, nuclei and dysfunctional methods of the person are triggered, deepening the current emotions and connecting them with the memories of biographical experiences (Arntz & Jacob, 2013).
In the central phase of the treatment, the Imagery becomes a real intervention technique. The scenes reactivated in imagination allow to reactivate the emotional elaboration of traumatic events or difficult events and satisfy, always through imagination, those emotional needs frustrated in childhood or in adolescence of the patient.
The Imagory Rescripting
Imagory Rescripting allows you to change these events within the imaginative activity.
For example, an aggressive person may be stopped in the imagined scene, you can bring your emotional girls safely and take care of them appropriately.
Emotions such as fault, shame and sense of threat can be transformed and sensations of mastery and safety can be created. The progression of the exercises is oriented towards these objectives.
On a cognitive level, the imagination of events reactivated in an adult with different skills and in a time other than that of the past, where the wounds have been created, allows a re -attribution of the meaning assigned to the painful event. A different meaning from that attributed when it happened.
In the final phase of psychotherapy, images of Imagory allow to strengthen and consolidate the new skills and skills acquired during the treatment and also to prepare for future challenging or potentially difficult scenarios for the person.
The effectiveness of imaginative techniques
Especially in recent decades, the scientific interest in the Imagory has grown a lot, further contributing to the consolidation of the integration of this technique in various validated protocols.
In cognitive-behavioral therapy, the imagery is for example used effectively in the treatment protocols of post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder (Clark et al., 2006).
In a meta-analysis of Morina et al. (2017), the Imagory showed effectiveness in the treatment of unpleasant memories in different psychopathological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive disorder, social anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Given the different evidence to support the ability of this type of work in evoking even very intense emotional experiences, it is essential that those who apply it is adequately formed.
Not only to allow the imagination to develop with the necessary and just emotional activation, but also to encourage adequate experiences in the person who are truly corrective and therapeutic.
Bibliography
- ARNTZ A., Jacob J. (2013). Therapy scheme in action: theory and practice. Istituto di Sciencei Cognitive Editore
- Clark et al. (2006). Cognitive Therapy Versus Exposure and Applied Relaxation in Social Phobia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 74, 3, 568-578.
- Morina et al. (2017). Imagery Rescripting as a clinical intervention for aversive memories: in Meta – Analysis. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 55, 6 – 15.
- Young Je, Klosko JS, Weishaar Me (2007). Therapy scheme. Cognitive – behavioral therapy integrated for personality disorders. Eclipsi publisher
- Van der Wijngaart Remco (2022). The Imagery Rescripting. Theory and practice. Giovanni Fioriti Editore
