Mental Imagery in Psychological Disorders
Title
Mental Imagery in Psychological Disorders
Author
Holmes, Emily A.
Iyadurai, Lalitha
Jacob, Gitta A.
Hales, Susie
Research Area
Psychopathology
Topic
Mental Disorder Varieties
Abstract
Mental imagery involves having an experience like perception but in the absence of a percept. We frequently have mental images such as when we remember an event or imagine the future. In psychological disorders, emotional mental images can flash to mind and be highly distressing, including traumatic memories or simulations of feared future events. However, emotional images have been neglected in research and therapy. This entry combines perspectives from cognitive science (mental imagery) and clinical psychology (psychological disorders). Cognitive science suggests that compared to verbal thoughts, mental imagery has a more powerful impact on emotion. Therefore, it is useful to ask about imagery in clinical assessment of emotional disorders. However, this approach has been largely restricted to PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). First, we illustrate that emotional mental imagery occurs across a wide variety of disorders. Second, by mapping the nature of imagery in disorders where it has been neglected (e.g., bipolar disorder), we may be able to import existing imagery therapy techniques (e.g., from PTSD) to improve treatment. Third, by drawing on cognitive science, we can capitalize on the properties inherent to mental imagery to suggest novel techniques. For example, maladaptive imagery may be reduced by cognitive tasks, which interfere with holding an image in mind. Also, adaptive imagery may be boosted by computerized training in generating positive imagery. Intriguingly, this opens the possibility of cognitively informed and computerized psychological treatments that may look rather different from traditional talking therapies.