Using visual dream reports in art therapy to reconsolidate emotional memories.

Abstract

A critical aim of psychotherapy is to modify the implicit emotional memories (EMs) that drive the unwanted behavior of clients. Empirical work from neuroscience and psychology suggests that, according to the reconsolidation theory, a memory becomes labile and susceptible to modification when it is reactivated and confronted with a prediction error (PE; i.e., an experience contradicting the memory). This action research aims to fill the gap between reconsolidation theory and psychotherapy practice. Specifically, it explores how EMs may be updated through reconsolidation by creating in-session visual dream reports (VDRs; e.g., dreamer's drawing, sculpture) in addition to writing a home dream journal. Eight women each attended eight art therapy sessions (including pretreatment and posttreatment sessions), where the therapist assisted them in identifying and updating EMs using their own VDRs. After each session, a table was filled with the identified EMs (i.e., predictions) and PEs that were processed. Data were reviewed to highlight the contribution of VDRs and the related emotions. Results suggest that both the written dream report and the VDR can contribute to different steps of the memory reconsolidation process. Affect change acted as an interoceptive PE, and the surprise reaction elicited through the creative process was used as a key marker of PE processing. Written dream report and VDR also contributed to verify the reconsolidation success. This research enlarges the variety of ways to conduct and verify EM reconsolidation in psychotherapy.