ABSTRACT
For many years therapists have recognized the presence and power of imagery and useful mind images as they relate to personal mental health and psychological balance. This chapter includes several skills devoted to getting clients to tap into such valuable personal resources. The therapist can also program or prescribe certain actions, thoughts, or behaviors by asking client to think about certain situations that arose in childhood. The therapist listens closely for themes in the early recollections that reveal the client’s felt place in life, feelings about self, and feelings for others. The therapist asks the client to imagine making a behavioral change and see it happening in the client’s mind’s eye. The therapist can also ask the client to imagine doing more of the same if the technique is working. The therapist helps the client learn to use her imagination to overpower negative, self-defeating, or anxiety-provoking thoughts.
