‘Venturing Towards the Dark Side’: The Use of Imagery Interventions by Recently Qualified Cognitive–Behavioural Therapists

Bell, Tobyn; Mackie, Lynn; Bennett–Levy, James

doi:10.1002/cpp.1920

Cited by 15 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…A qualitative study by Bell, Mackie, and Bennett-Levy (2015) highlighted that this could be due to therapist concerns such as lack of confidence, practice, and training; concern clients and colleagues may perceive imagery interventions to be alternative fringe practices; concern that the increased affect evoked by imagery may be destabilising for clients and clinicians; and the perception that imagery interventions are unstructured and unpredictable. A qualitative study by Bell, Mackie, and Bennett-Levy (2015) highlighted that this could be due to therapist concerns such as lack of confidence, practice, and training; concern clients and colleagues may perceive imagery interventions to be alternative fringe practices; concern that the increased affect evoked by imagery may be destabilising for clients and clinicians; and the perception that imagery interventions are unstructured and unpredictable.…”

Section: Why Use Mental Imagery In Cbt? the Rationale For Imagery Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite these compelling reasons to use imagery within CBT, therapists can sometimes be hesitant to incorporate imagery routinely within their interventions. A qualitative study by Bell, Mackie, and Bennett-Levy (2015) highlighted that this could be due to therapist concerns such as lack of confidence, practice, and training; concern clients and colleagues may perceive imagery interventions to be alternative fringe practices; concern that the increased affect evoked by imagery may be destabilising for clients and clinicians; and the perception that imagery interventions are unstructured and unpredictable. Greater understanding of how imagery can be used in CBT seems fundamental to helping clinicians overcome such attitudinal and educational barriers.…”

Section: Why Use Mental Imagery In Cbt? the Rationale For Imagery Imentioning

confidence: 99%

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The essential role of mental imagery in cognitive behaviour therapy: What is old is new again

Saulsman

McEvoy

2019

Australian Psychologist

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Objective: The aim of this review is to highlight the important role of mental imagery in contemporary cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Method: In this narrative review, we define mental imagery based on cognitive science research, present the rationale for the incorporation of mental imagery within CBT, and outline four key applications of mental imagery within CBT practice (i.e., imagery-enhanced thought records, imagery-enhanced behavioural experiments, imaginal facilitation of behaviour change, and imagery rescripting), including emerging research supporting these varied applications. Results: Mental imagery is highly relevant to CBT practice because (a) it is a transdiagnostic cognitive maintaining factor of psychopathology; (b) it promotes cognitive specificity when working with clients; and (c) the emotional amplification properties of mental imagery, and its impacts on motivation and behaviour, make imagery a powerful facilitator of cognitive, affective, and behavioural change. Emerging research is promising regarding the potential for imagery to enhance treatment outcomes. However, further research is required to guide clinicians regarding how to best facilitate imagery interventions to maximise outcomes. Conclusions: Imagery-focused interventions are an essential part of a CBT practitioner's therapeutic repertoire. Mental imagery has the capacity to bring CBT to life, facilitating conditions important for engaging and effective psychotherapy. K E Y W O R D Sbehaviour change, behavioural experiments, cognitive behaviour therapy, imagery rescripting, mental imagery, thought records

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Section: Why Use Mental Imagery In Cbt? the Rationale For Imagery Imentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Why Use Mental Imagery In Cbt? the Rationale For Imagery Imentioning

confidence: 99%

The essential role of mental imagery in cognitive behaviour therapy: What is old is new again

Saulsman

McEvoy

2019

Australian Psychologist

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“…Actually, these processes are not rigidly separated but influence each other in many directions which can roughly be reduced to a bottom – up direction, from the sensory-motor level perceived as emotions ( bottom ) to voluntary propositional cognitive and metacognitive representations ( up ), and vice versa, that is top – down . In turn, this bi-directional reductionist model may be also useful in order to map therapeutic interventions: bottom – up interventions that aim to regulate the emotional and cognitive processes through experiential exposure, experiential re-education, guided-imagery, or role playing (Bell et al 2015 ; Hackmann et al 2011 ); and top – down interventions aiming at acting at a verbal, declarative, and re-attributional level. Top – down interventions are, however, implemented mostly at a second-order metacognitive level in which mental states are regulated by attention, but not fully controlled by rational reasoning (Wells and Mathews 1994 ; Williams et al 1988 ).…”

Section: Back To Functionalism?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Historical and Theoretical Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: From Structural Self-Knowledge to Functional Processes

Ruggiero

Spada

Caselli³

et al. 2018

J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther

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This paper critically examines the historical conceptualization of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy approaches (CBT) as a direct clinical counterpart of the cognitive revolution. The main “second wave” cognitive psychotherapies, either standard cognitive therapy (CT) or constructivist, in spite of their differences, share a common conceptualization of psychopathological factors as superordinate structural cognitive content belonging to the self: self-beliefs, self-schemata, personality organizations and so on. On the other hand, rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is an exception given that in REBT self-knowledge is not the core psychopathological tenet, being rather a derivate mechanism. Moreover, in non clinical cognitive science cognition is conceived as a regulatory function that operates retroactively and not in a hierarchically super- ordered fashion centered on the self. A historical review suggests that in both CT and constructivist model the structuralistic model of self-centered cognition may have emerged for both cultural and scientific reasons: self-centered cognitive models may be more readily understandable to clinicians as they allow for a straightforward identification of operationalizable self-beliefs. The emergence of new “third wave” process-centered CBT approaches may represent a comeback to functionalism, where cognition is considered again a regulatory function and not a structure. In addition, REBT’s interest in dysfunctional evaluations not focused on the self presaged this clinical and scientific turning point toward functionalism.

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“…This process of negotiating a shared understanding of subjective, and inter‐subjective, meaning‐making matches the aims of the current project: i.e., to understand the personal experience of trainees as they engage in mental imagery of a relational nature, within the context of their role as a therapist. There is precedence of using IPA to explore CBT therapists' experience of using imagery (Bell, Mackie, & Bennett‐Levy, ) and the development of self‐compassion in clients (e.g., Pauley & McPherson, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a Compassionate Internal Supervisor: Compassion‐Focused Therapy for Trainee Therapists

Bell¹,

Dixon

Kolts

2016

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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Compassion-focused therapy, and related compassionate-mind imagery exercises, can be adapted specifically to develop compassion in trainee psychotherapists. Creating, and engaging with, an 'ideal compassionate supervisor' in an imaginal form can support psychotherapy trainees in their clinical practice and development, their supervision and their personal lives. The cultivation of therapist self-compassion can reduce unhelpful cognitive processes such as worry, rumination and self-criticism whilst increasing self-reflection, attentional flexibility and approach behaviour. Identifying, and working with, blocks to compassion is important when cultivating clinician self-compassion Therapist self-practice of compassion-focused exercises can provide important insights into the nature of compassion and its cultivation in clients.

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‘Venturing Towards the Dark Side’: The Use of Imagery Interventions by Recently Qualified Cognitive–Behavioural Therapists

Cited by 15 publications

References 32 publications

The essential role of mental imagery in cognitive behaviour therapy: What is old is new again

The essential role of mental imagery in cognitive behaviour therapy: What is old is new again

A Historical and Theoretical Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies: From Structural Self-Knowledge to Functional Processes

Developing a Compassionate Internal Supervisor: Compassion‐Focused Therapy for Trainee Therapists

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