Psychological Interventions as They Relate to Intrusive Thinking Intrusive, Emotional Mental Imagery after Traumatic and Negative Events

Common across psychological disorders, intrusive, emotional mental images are
sensory-perceptual representations that intrude involuntarily into the mind. Mental
health treatments typically focus on entire disorders with multiple symptoms. This
chapter suggests focusing on core clinical symptoms (i.e., intrusive imagery). Existing
psychological therapy techniques (e.g., imagery rescripting) are promising, but underlying
treatment mechanisms need to be better understood.
Precise treatments and preventions are required. Using the example of psychological
trauma, this chapter argues that psychological interventions can be developed in the
laboratory: eff ective experimental analogues of trauma can generate intrusions so that
putative interventions that modulate intrusions can be explored at various mechanistic
levels (e.g., molecular, cognitive, social). Examples of targeting “new” (i.e., Day 1
of the traumatic event) memories include a simple cognitive interference intervention
that holds promise for preventing intrusive images after trauma (a behavioral protocol
including Tetris game play). This intervention specifi cally targets intrusive involuntary
memories while leaving voluntary memory intact. Work on targeting “old” (as of Day 2)
memories is at an earlier stage. Research on reconsolidation update mechanisms appears
valuable in reducing older trauma memories via interference interventions, again with a
behavioral task interference technique. To understand mechanisms across diff erent levels
(e.g., molecular, cognitive, or social), mathematical models can aid the identifi cation
of causal mechanisms involved in memory formation. Questions are posed to instigate
discussion of future science-driven psychological interventions for intrusive images.