In the previous posts we looked at NLP’s reimprinting (NLP part 29): revisiting a painful scene and giving it a new outcome. There’s a clinical cousin of that idea with a research base: imagery rescripting.
What imagery rescripting is
Imagery rescripting (ImRs) is a technique used by trained therapists within some forms of cognitive behavioural therapy and schema therapy, mainly developed by researchers such as Arnoud Arntz. In a typical session:
- The client brings to mind a distressing memory or recurring image, such as a nightmare.
- They experience the scene from their original perspective, as it happened.
- The therapist helps them change the scene in imagination: perhaps a protective adult steps in, the client speaks up, or the outcome is different.
- The client notices how it feels and what needs were met.
The aim is to change the meaning and emotional impact of the memory, not to pretend it never happened.
How it differs from NLP reimprinting
| NLP reimprinting | Imagery rescripting | |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered by | NLP practitioners, various training | Trained clinicians, within a therapy framework |
| Research | No controlled trials found | Meta-analyses of trials |
| Memory safeguards | Variable | Stressed in clinical work |
| Used for | General change, “limiting patterns” | Defined conditions such as PTSD and social anxiety |
What the research says
- A 2017 meta-analysis found 19 trials (seven of them randomised controlled trials) with 363 adult patients with conditions including PTSD (eight trials), social anxiety disorder (six), body dysmorphic disorder, depression, bulimia and OCD. It concluded that rescripting was associated with improvements in these conditions.
- A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis reported large effect sizes for reducing clinical symptoms linked with mental images, especially for social anxiety disorder and PTSD.
- Trials have also tested it for nightmares, including a randomised waiting-list trial comparing imagery rescripting with imaginal exposure.
(Details above are from search summaries, not the original papers.)
Caveats: many studies are small, comparison groups vary, and rescripting is often part of a larger programme.
Why it may work
- Memory is flexible. Updating the emotional meaning of a memory is a goal of many trauma therapies.
- Meeting unmet needs in imagination can reduce shame and helplessness.
- Imagery is emotionally powerful. It reaches feelings more directly than words.
- It happens in a structured, safe setting with a trained therapist.
Safeguards that make a difference
- A clear aim. Rescripting aims to change feelings and meaning, not to uncover or “restore” facts.
- Pacing. The therapist checks the person is coping and can stop.
- Honesty about what happened. The real event isn’t replaced in the person’s account.
- Qualified training, in CBT, schema therapy or similar.
When to consider it
- Nightmares, intrusive images or PTSD. Ask your GP about trauma-focused therapies, which may include rescripting.
- Social anxiety driven by vivid, painful memories.
- Not as a DIY technique for serious trauma.
The bottom line
If NLP’s reimprinting appeals, imagery rescripting is a better-evidenced version of the same idea, offered by clinicians with the right safeguards. It is a good example of an NLP-like technique that has been properly tested.
Next in the series: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Outcome Thinking with Evidence
This article is for general information and is not medical advice.