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ABSTRACT
Background: Mental imagery is implicated in the maintenance and treatment of persecutory delusions, yet there is little experimental evidence for the effects of imagery on paranoia, anxiety and core beliefs – key therapeutic targets in CBT for psychosis.
Aims: This pilot study examined the impact of a repeated imagery task in people with high levels of non-clinical paranoia, to determine whether a fully powered study is warranted.
Method: Twenty-four people participated in a 3 × 3 mixed model design comparing paranoia, anxiety and core beliefs between imagery conditions (positive/negative/neutral) and across time-points (pre/post/follow-up).
Results: The imagery task yielded large effects on paranoia, anxiety and core self-beliefs.
Conclusions: Rehearsing interpersonal imagery in which the person experiences themselves as safe, secure, and able to trust others, may have large, sustained effects. A fully powered clinical study is warranted.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. This study was linked to a wider project, available on request.