The effectiveness of imagery work in schema therapy with couples: a clinical experiment comparing the effects of imagery rescripting and cognitive interventions in brief schema couples therapy

Schema therapy has shown good effectiveness in individual and group settings. Experiential techniques, in particular, seem to contribute to those effects. In a randomized controlled trial with 12 couples, we compared the effects of couple imagery rescripting exercises and a cognitive intervention based on the schema therapy model in a crossover design. We measured the couples’ sense of closeness, using daily VAS-scales, and on mood (BDI-II). Imagery rescripting showed significantly stronger effects on the felt closeness and mood of both partners than schema model-based cognitive therapy techniques.