ABSTRACT
The self can be a prison from which to view the world and for many people suffering from psychological disorders the building blocks of this prison are the distorted and dysfunctional images that they have of themselves, which are often based on past memories. The principal aims of this book are to explore the ways in which images of the self can contribute to the cause and maintenance of psychological disorders and to examine how imagery can be used in treatment to help people overcome their psychological difficulties. Imagery is one of the ‘hot topics in modern cognitive behaviour therapy’ (Holmes, Arntz, & Smucker, 2007, p. 298) and the publication of two journal special issues over the past five years attests to the theoretical importance of imagery as well as to its clinical relevance (see Memory, July 2004, vol. 12, no. 4 and Journal of Behaviour Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, December 2007, vol. 38, no. 4). This introductory chapter describes the rationale for looking specifically at images of the self and provides the reader with a map of what the book covers. The chapter starts by defining imagery and considering why it is important in cognitive therapy, and goes on to look at the links between imagery and self-representation that form the core of the book. The final part of the introduction provides a brief summary of the content of the subsequent chapters.
