Imagery Rescripting is a form of therapy that aims to process negative memories of early experiences in life, thus reducing distress associated with it. Rather than avoiding these negative memories in an unproductive way, imagery rescripting helps to make sense of these negative memories by showing what it’s like to have their emotional needs met. This would allow an individual to experience love, change negative beliefs and promote self-validation and self-love.
While memories cannot be erased, our relationship to them can change. Imagery Rescripting (often abbreviated as ImRs) offers a structured, compassionate way to revisit difficult scenes from the past and to introduce the very support, protection, and care that were missing back then. By meeting unmet needs within the memory—safety, comfort, fairness, validation—the emotional “charge” of the memory tends to soften, and the conclusions we drew about ourselves (“It was my fault,” “I’m unlovable,” “I’m powerless”) can be updated to more accurate, kinder beliefs.
Imagery Rescripting is used as a stand-alone intervention or as a component within other modalities such as Schema Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and EMDR therapy. It is suitable for many ages and backgrounds and can be adapted for cultural and individual preferences (for example, religious imagery, important family figures, or symbolic protectors).
How Is Imagery Rescripting Conducted?
It is conducted by asking individuals to rewrite their autobiographical memory in a way that would meet their unmet emotional needs. This would be conducted through an exploration of memories that were negative or traumatic and steps would be conducted to prevent the possibility of re-traumatization. Some of these steps include; Raising hands to stop, monitoring of levels of distress, and the teaching of self-soothing methods.
A typical Imagery Rescripting session proceeds in carefully paced steps:
- Preparation and safety: Your therapist explains the process, agrees on a stop signal, and teaches grounding and self-soothing (for example, paced breathing, orienting to the room, placing a hand on the heart). You choose whether to keep eyes open or closed and whether to speak in first-person (“I”) or third-person (“she/he/they”)—whichever feels safer.
- Selecting the target memory: Together you identify a memory that still causes distress or fuels a painful belief about yourself. We determine the “hot spot”—the single worst moment—to keep the work focused and time-limited.
- Imaginal reliving (brief and titrated): You describe the scene as if it’s happening now, just enough to connect with the key feelings and needs. Your therapist continually monitors your distress and can pause at any time.
- Rescripting phase: At or just before the hot spot, something different happens. An adult caring figure (your present-day self, your therapist as a helper within the image, a trusted protector, a teacher, a relative, or a symbolic guardian) enters the scene to protect, comfort, and advocate for the younger you. Boundaries are set; unfairness is named; the child is removed from danger; authorities are called; warmth and reassurance are given—always in a way that fits your values and culture.
- Installing new meanings: The helper speaks clearly to the younger you: “This was not your fault.” “You were a child.” “You deserved care.” You notice how the younger you responds—relief, tears, calm—and you let the scene complete with the unmet need now met (safety, comfort, fairness, being believed).
- De-roling and grounding: We return fully to the present, name what changed in the scene, and check your sensations and emotions. Any lingering activation is settled with grounding and breath before closing.
Sessions often include a brief debrief: What new beliefs feel true now? What would you like to remember this week when old triggers arise? Some clients record a short, affirming message drawn from the session (for example, “I was a child; I am safe now; I’m worthy of care”) to play between sessions.
What Can Imagery Rescripting Help With?
- Depression
- Social Phobia
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Personality Disorders
Imagery Rescripting is also used for childhood emotional neglect, bullying memories, medical trauma, shame-laden school experiences, and memories that fuel perfectionism, guilt, or chronic self-criticism. In social anxiety, for instance, an embarrassing classroom moment may have produced the lasting belief “I’m ridiculous.” Rescripting that moment—where a compassionate adult protects and validates the child—can loosen the grip of that belief and reduce present-day avoidance.
How Does Imagery Rescripting Work?
The underlying cognitive mechanisms of Imagery Rescripting are still under debate. Evidence suggests that Imagery Rescripting lowers negative self-beliefs that arise from traumatic memories, by rewriting and perceiving these negative beliefs as unhelpful beliefs.
Imagery Rescripting not only changes the salience of these negative memories, but also the individual’s learned, goals and beliefs about themselves from the negative memories. Through reprocessing these adverse memories, negative beliefs of oneself may be changed to a more adaptive and healthy belief.
Several processes likely interact:
- Memory reconsolidation: When a memory is reactivated, it briefly becomes “labile,” meaning it can be updated before being stored again. By inserting corrective experiences (being protected, believed, comforted), the brain can save a less threatening, more accurate version—often with reduced sensory intensity and a different emotional tone.
- Emotional needs met: Many early scenes carry unmet needs (safety, nurturance, fairness, belonging). Meeting those needs inside the memory satisfies the nervous system’s expectation of danger in similar present-day situations, reducing hypervigilance and shame.
- Belief revision: The original conclusion (“I’m to blame,” “I’m weak,” “People can’t be trusted”) is challenged by the rescripted scene. Over time, this supports a healthier identity (“I was a child who deserved care,” “I can protect myself now,” “Trust can be earned and chosen”).
- Self-compassion in action: When the adult self rescues and soothes the child self, self-compassion becomes embodied, not just conceptual. This lived experience often generalises to everyday setbacks.
Safe Pacing and Consent First
Imagery Rescripting is never about re-living trauma for its own sake. Your consent guides pace and depth at every step. If distress rises, we slow down, switch to third-person narration, open eyes, or shift to a resource image (for example, a safe place, a supportive figure). We can also practise “incomplete rescripts” (stopping before the hot spot) until your system feels ready. Safety in the present is the first priority.
Who Is a Good Fit for Imagery Rescripting?
People who notice that specific memories still sting, who carry persistent shame or guilt from childhood moments, or who feel “stuck” in patterns linked to early experiences often benefit. Imagery Rescripting can be adapted for neurodivergent clients (using concrete, sensory-based scripts), teens (shorter scenes, creative imagery), and clients who prefer secular or spiritual frameworks. If dissociation or psychosis is present, careful assessment and stabilisation steps are taken, and alternative approaches may be recommended first.
What a Session Might Sound Like (Illustrative Example)
Therapist: “You’re nine years old in the classroom. The laughter begins. As we approach the worst moment, would you like your adult self to enter, or shall I?”
You: “My adult self.”
Therapist: “Good. What do you do first?”
You: “I stand between her and the class. I tell the teacher to pause and I put a hand on her shoulder. I say, ‘You’re not alone. You did nothing wrong.’”
Therapist: “How does she respond?”
You: “She stops shaking. She looks at me.”
Therapist: “Let the class hear what they need to hear.”
You: “I tell them it’s not okay to laugh. I ask the teacher to help her take a break outside. I walk her out.”
Therapist: “As you leave, what belief feels truer now?”
You: “That I was a kid who needed help—and I deserved it.”
Integrating Imagery Rescripting with Everyday Life
Between sessions, brief practices help the new learning “stick”:
- Anchor phrase: Choose a sentence drawn from the rescript (for example, “I deserved care”). Place it on your phone lock screen or a sticky note where triggers happen (desk, mirror).
- Micro-imagery: 60-second check-ins: picture your younger self receiving the same kindness from the session before a challenging task or after a setback.
- Values-aligned actions: Take one small action your older self would have wanted for that child (for example, five minutes of play, asking for help, saying “no” kindly).
Common Questions
Do I have to recall every detail? No. We work with just enough detail to reach the “hot spot,” then we change what happens. You are always in charge of how much you describe.
What if my memory is fuzzy? That’s okay. We can work with a composite memory or the general sense of what happened.
The focus is on your needs and meanings, not perfect historical accuracy.
Will this make me feel worse? Most people experience manageable waves of emotion followed by relief or calm. If activation rises, we titrate and strengthen grounding. The goal is to leave the session settled.
How many sessions? Some memories shift in 1–3 focused sessions; deeper patterns may take longer. Imagery Rescripting is often part of a broader plan that includes skills for sleep, boundaries, or mood.
When Imagery Rescripting Is Not the First Step
If current safety is uncertain (for example, ongoing abuse, acute suicidality, severe substance dependence), we prioritise stabilisation, practical safety planning, and symptom relief first. Imagery Rescripting can be considered later when the nervous system has more capacity and when you have reliable support.
If you’re curious whether Imagery Rescripting could support your healing, we’re here to answer questions and plan a path that feels safe, respectful, and effective for you.
Everyone Deserves to Blossom.
We recommend This Video to those who wants to learn more about Imagery Rescripting Therapy.
About Us
We are a team comprising psychologists based in Singapore endeavouring our best to prioritise our clients’ needs. When you embark on this journey with us, we take a collaborative approach where you and your psychologist work closely together, and listen to what you have to say — No judgments, and in a safe space. Meet our Team
Quick Links
Contact Us
150 Cecil Street #07-02 S069543
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm
Saturday: 8am to 2pm
Sunday: 10am to 2pm (Online only)
Admin Hours
Monday to Friday: 8am to 5.30pm
Saturday: 8am to 2pm
© Copyright 2023 – Psychology Blossom | Privacy Policy | Terms
