ABSTRACT
The term 'cognition' includes images as well as thoughts. Some clients might find it difficult to pinpoint their negative automatic thoughts(NATs) in a specific situation, but the therapist can ask such clients if they had any pictures or images in their minds in that situation which might be more retrievable. Using imagery can help clients to relive past situations to uncover the hot thoughts associated with these situations. Lazarus states that 'understanding of the role that imagery plays in our daily lives provides a clue to unravelling otherwise insoluble puzzles'. Such a puzzle is when a client presents with a situation that says very happy about but, instead, feels worried and standard Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) questioning fails to explain his worry. To bring the client's worries into focus, the therapist can use the step-up technique where the client visualizes his married life unfolding and the therapist keeps 'stepping up' the image to the point.
