Imagery Rescripting is a part of Schema Therapy and can be an effective trauma treatment without the need for prolonged exposure to traumatic experiences within the therapeutic process. 

Imagery Rescripting is an experiential therapeutic technique that uses imagery and imagination to work upon traumatic memories. The process is guided by the psychotherapist who will work with you to define ways to work with traumatic memories, images, or nightmares.

Imagery Rescripting helps to redefine and create new neural networks which work to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD and trauma. Within an Imagery Rescripting session, the therapist guide’s you  to revisit the memory you are working with. At a key point in the memory, either yourself or the therapist will intervene in the image/memory.

The intervention may involve regaining control over the event, creating new outcomes, or re-establishing power over the narrative of the event. The aim is to connect you with unmet core needs resulting from the memory/experience. Imagery Rescripting has been shown to be most effective in the treatment of PTSD resulting from childhood traumas

It is an experiential technique that involves actively working with mental images rather than simply talking about what happened. Imagery Rescripting works directly with causes of trauma to restructure systems of implicational meaning that perpetuate symptoms of PTSD, trigger emotional distress, and cause maladaptive behaviours. When Imagery Rescripting successfully changes the core meaning of traumatic memories, new neural pathways are created which facilitate changes in negative schemas, core belief systems, and behaviours.