Imagery Rescripting Therapies
Our therapists are trained in a number of imagery rescripting therapies to assist clients in resolving memories of childhood trauma to include physical, sexual and psychological abuse and mistaken beliefs.
Rewriting the Emotional Experience of Trauma
Imagery Rescripting Therapy (IRRT) is a structured, trauma-focused treatment designed (Smucker, Dancu, Foa & Niederee, 1995), to help individuals — particularly adult survivors of childhood trauma — process and transform painful memories.
This therapeutic approach supports those whose trauma was ongoing or developmental, and where emotions like shame, guilt, anger, grief, and blame are more dominant than fear.
How IRRT Works
IRRT integrates:
- Imaginal Exposure: Revisiting traumatic experiences in a safe therapeutic setting.
- Mastery Imagery: Imagining a scenario where you gain control or confront the perpetrator.
- Cognitive Restructuring: Reframing mistaken beliefs and developing healthier self-concepts.
In therapy, clients revisit past traumatic experiences — often from childhood — and are guided to confront the perpetrator in their imagination, shift the narrative, and emotionally reclaim power and agency.
Goals of Imagery Rescripting
- Reduce physiological arousal and distress
- Eliminate re-experiencing of traumatic imagery
- Reshape core beliefs and schemas
- Increase self-compassion and emotional regulation
- Strengthen coping and resilience skills
IRRT has been successfully applied to various trauma types and co-occurring conditions, including PTSD, anxiety, and complex grief, and continues to build its evidence base.
In short, IRRT helps you to emotionally and cognitively reprocess trauma — enabling long-term healing, even from deeply rooted childhood wounds.