Imagery rescripting of early memories in health anxiety disorder: A feasibility and non-randomized pilot study
Abstract
Background and objectives Health anxiety is a common problem and is associated with frequent primary care visits, increased health care costs, and poor prognosis and low recovery rates. Previous research shows that imagery rescripting (IR) is a promising treatment technique for various disorders. To date, IR has not been examined as a viable treatment for health anxiety. The purpose of the present feasibility and pilot study was to test one session of IR of early anxiety-laden health-related memories in a small sample of patients suffering from HA.Methods A within-groups design was used with a sample of 18 patients suffering from HA, who first underwent a control condition (reading about CBT), and then one week later a session of IR. After another week, the effects were measured on self-reported health anxiety and early anxiety provoking health-related mental images (memories).Results After the IR intervention, significant reductions of health anxiety and health worry, as well as image and memory distress, vividness and frequency were observed.Limitations Among the most important limitations are the absence of an active control group, the small size of the sample, the absence of a longer follow-up, and the use of only self-report measures.Conclusions The results suggest that IR is a feasible technique in the treatment of health anxiety, and that more controlled research along these lines may be worthwhile.
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Preliminary research has shown promising results of clinical interventions that specifically focus on threat imagery in anxiety disorders, such as imagery rescripting or EMDR therapy.
“Preliminary research has also shown promising results of clinical interventions that specifically focus on threat imagery in anxiety disorders, such as imagery rescripting [34–37] or EMDR therapy [38–40].”
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“This experiential technique, originally developed within Schema Therapy (Arntz & Weertman, 1999), allows clients to revisit early aver sive memories, fantasies, or nightmares and transform their emotional meaning (Müller-Engelmann & Steil, 2017; Nilsson et al., 2019).”
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“…part of gold standard treatment for social anxiety, however it has also shown good results as a single session intervention for IAD, where the presence of illness-related imagery is well established (Arntz, 2012; Benke et al., 2024; Muse et al., 2010; Nilsson et al., 2019; Wells & Hackmann, 1993).”
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- Authors
- Nilsson, J.-E., Knutsson, J., Jalamo, B.-S., & Lundh, L.-G.
- Affiliations
- Lund University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Nilsson, Jan-Erik
- Venue
- Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-12
- Volume
- 65
- Pages
- 101491
- ISSN
- 0005-7916 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2947794053
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 0.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- imagery rescripting, health anxiety, early memories, health worry, memory vividness, cognitive behavioral therapy, feasibility
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Attitude to Health, Feasibility Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Middle Aged, Pilot Projects, Treatment Outcome, Imagery, Psychotherapy, Young Adult
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