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The application of imagery rescripting to intrusive autobiographical memories in depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2022

Adele Stavropoulos Open the ORCID record for Adele Stavropoulos [Opens in a new window] ,
Robert Brockman  and
David Berle Open the ORCID record for David Berle [Opens in a new window]
Adele Stavropoulos
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
Robert Brockman
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
David Berle*
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Intrusive autobiographical memories are a prominent feature of depression implicated in the onset and course of the disorder. Current cognitive behavioural treatment of depression does not specify techniques to address intrusive memories. Imagery rescripting has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of trauma-related intrusive memories. This paper illustrates the application of imagery rescripting as a stand-alone treatment for two patients experiencing a current major depressive episode. The two cases are described in detail and follow-up data are reported. Both patients experienced clinically significant and reliable change in their depression scores and no longer met criteria for a current major depressive episode at post-assessment, with gains maintained at 3-month follow-up. Implications are discussed for the theoretical mechanisms of change of this intervention as well as methods to overcome common treatment obstacles that arise in depression.

Key learning aims

  1. (1) To learn how intrusive autobiographical memories are implicated in the onset and maintenance of depression.

  2. (2) To learn the limitations that may present clinically when applying verbal-linguistic techniques such as cognitive restructuring to intrusive memories.

  3. (3) To learn when imagery rescripting may be required to treat intrusive memories and how to implement this technique to overcome traditional treatment obstacles in depression.

Keywords

depressionintrusive memoryimagery rescripting
Type
Case Study
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 15 , 2022 , e47
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

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References

Further reading

Boterhoven de Haan, K., Lee, C., Fassbinder, E., Van Es, S., Menninga, S., Meewisse, M., … & Arntz, A. (2020). Imagery rescripting and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing as treatment for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma: randomised clinical trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 217, 609–615. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.158 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Renner, F., Arntz, A., Leeuw, I., & Huilbers, M. (2013). Treatment of chronic depression using schema therapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 20, 166–180. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/cpsp.12032 Google Scholar
Wheatley, J., Brewin, C.R., Patel, T., Hackmann, A., Wells, A., Fisher, P. & Myers, S. (2007). I’ll believe it when I can see it: imagery rescripting of intrusive sensory memories in depression, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 38, 371–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2007.08.005 Google ScholarPubMed

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