Imagery Rescripting: Theory and Practice

Imagery Rescripting, Theory and Practice is a complete manual for practitioners and offers a clear and well-organized introduction to how IR can be applied in the treatment of personality disorders and other problems. Imagery rescripting (IR) is a therapeutic technique that allows problematic events to be retrieved from memory and modified in positive directions. It explores the various ways in which the technique can be utilised – how imagery exercises can provide insight into present problems via events of the past, how the therapist can rescript images in the early stages of treatment, and how clients can learn to rescript images themselves as the therapy progresses. The use of IR to prepare clients for future trigger situations is also discussed. Each step is illustrated with examples from practice, and a number of clinical pitfalls are considered – including clients who cannot create images, clients with a critical attitude, and clients who struggle with feelings of guilt during the rescripting process.

REMCO VAN DER WIJNGAART is a health psychologist and psychotherapist. He worked for twenty years in an academic department of an outpatient mental health institution, where he participated in numerous treatment studies for anxiety, personality disorders, somatoform disorders and eating disorders. In a pioneering study into the effectiveness of schema therapy for borderline personality disorder, he was trained and supervised in imagery rescripting by Jeffrey Young, the founder of schema therapy. He has also been trained by Aaron Beck, Joan Farrell and Ida Shaw.