Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

9-1-1977

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Source Publication

International Journal of Social Psychiatry

Source ISSN

0020-7640

Abstract

Verbal language has long been the most widely used source of data for clinical inference; 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 organization. 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 who have made extensive use of induced imagery.

Comments

Accepted version. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, Vol. 23, No. 3 (September 1, 1977): 169-186. DOI. © 1977 SAGE Publications. Used with permission.

Download
sheikh_12950acc.docx (67 kB)
ADA Accessible Version

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS