Use of Mental Imagery in Psychotherapy: A Critical Review

Sheikh, Anees A.; Panagiotou, Nancy C.

doi:10.2466/pms.1975.41.2.555

Cited by 33 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…Currently its use is being expanded and intensified (Horowitz, 1978;Sheikh, 1977;Sheikh & Panagiotou, 1975;Sheikh & Pachuta, 1985). There are several characteristics of the imagery mode which make it particularly suitable for the use of psychotherapists: (1) Research indicates that the imaginary experiencing of something is the psycholog~cal equivalent to experiencing the thing in actuality (Klinger, 1980;Kosslyn, 1980;Neisser, 1976;Sheikh & Shaffer, 1979).…”

Section: Imagery As Clinical Interventionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Because verbal logic is linear and the image is a simultaneous representation, imagery may allow for a greater and more accurate emotional loading. (3) Imagery may be our main access to memories encoded at a pre-verbal stage or during a developmental stage of limited verbal symbolization (Kepecs, 1954;Sheikh & Panagiotou, 1975). (4) Imagery techniques seem to elicit material from the problem areas of a client's life (Klinger, 1980), and during a therapeutic impasse or verbal blockage imagery will often present new avenues for exploration and development (Singer, 1974).…”

Section: Imagery As Clinical Interventionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Treatment of Co-Dependent Women Through the Use of Mental Imagery

Cleveland¹

1987

Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly

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Section: Imagery As Clinical Interventionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Imagery As Clinical Interventionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Treatment of Co-Dependent Women Through the Use of Mental Imagery

Cleveland¹

1987

Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly

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“…In fact, the brain does not distinguish between imagination and real experience (Ornstein & Sobel, 1987). Every meaningful image appearing in the brain's cortex activates the relevant systems in our body as well as mental systems and memories, including the unconscious ones (Sheikh & Panagiotou, 1975;Sheikh & Allman, 2011).…”

Section: How Do These Two Layers Interact?mentioning

confidence: 99%

From Psycho-Analysis to Culture-Analysis

Dwairy

2015

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“…It seems more probable, however, that the two modes are separate but capable of interaction. Imagery appears to have feedback relationships with verbal cognition, affect and physiological or somatic states (Sheikh and Panagiotou, 1975).…”

Section: Observations Of Spontaneous Imagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Image and the Unconscious

Panagiotou

Sheikh

1977

Int J Soc Psychiatry

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PRECISCette étude se concentre sur 1'emplo~i d'images mentales dans des th6rapies analytiquement orient6es. La premiere partie pr6sente une breve discussion de quelques questions psycho'linguistiques importantes qui portent sur 1'emploi d'images dans la psychoth6rapie. La deuxieme parties discute les observations d'images spontan6es par les practiciens analytiques, et montre le rapport de ces images a la cognition linguistique-rationnelle et à. l'organisation inconsciente. La troisi6me partie fait sortir la fonction particulièrement unique de certaines images, qui comportent une abondance de matériel charge de phenomenes affectifs, comme symboles; et la quatrieme partie 6lucide la puissance de ces symboles, qui sont surtout visuels, par le travail de plusieurs practiciens qui ont beaucoup utilise des images induites. INTRODUCTION VERBAL language has long been the most widely used source of data for clinical inferences; recently, however, an increasing number of therapists have turned to images for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This paper focusses upon the use of mental imagery in analytically oriented therapies. The first segment presents a brief discussion of some important psycholinguistic questions that bear upon the use of images in psychotherapy. The second part discusses the observations of spontaneous images by analytical therapists and shows the relation of these images to linguistic-rational cognition and to unconscious organisation. The third section brings out the unique function of certain images as symbols containing a wealth of affect-laden material and the fourth portion illustrates the potency of these primarily visual symbols with the work of several depth-therapists whom have made extensive use of induced imagery. LANGUAGE AND PSYCHOTHERAPYLanguage with its implicit logic and classificatory organisation is the medium of psychotherapy, for through it the clinician contacts, knows and interacts with his target structure, whether he calls it 'personality', 'l~i'bidinal organisation', 'cognitive structure' or ~behaviour'. Pavlov (1927) expressed the belief that humans are always engaged in conditioning themselves to the internal signals of covert speech or linguistic images. The relation of inner speech to perceptions, values and beliefs, connects the individual to his social universe. Internal speech is not original, but has its origin in the utterances of others, particularly of the parents. The child learns the vocabulary involved in his socialisation and also a linguistic syntax that amounts to a set of rules for logical thought. From this linguistic matrix emerge the percep'tons, values and beliefs the individual holds about himself and other persons. It is from this connection that the psychological importance of the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis (Whorf, 1956) derives. Is it true that language 'determines' cognition; that is, can linguistic form significantly limit logical progression, conceptualisation and perception and thereby profoundly affect emotional reactions and behaviour? It ...

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Use of Mental Imagery in Psychotherapy: A Critical Review

Cited by 33 publications

References 58 publications

Treatment of Co-Dependent Women Through the Use of Mental Imagery

Treatment of Co-Dependent Women Through the Use of Mental Imagery

From Psycho-Analysis to Culture-Analysis

The Image and the Unconscious

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