The client closes their eyes and recalls a difficult childhood experience — a concrete scene in full detail. The image activates the original experience at the emotional level: the client sees what a verbal account misses (defense, freeze, guilt). The therapist notes what is excluded from the image, and that points to the core of the schema. Used at the early stage of therapy to identify active schemas and their emotional root.
Step-by-step guide
- Ask the client to close their eyes and recall a specific difficult scene from childhood
- Ask detailing questions: what do you see, hear, feel in the body
- Ask who is present in the scene, what is happening
- Note what the client excludes or avoids in the description
- Ask: what do you feel as you look at this scene now?
- Integrate the observations: which schema activates in this image
When to use
- Early phase (assessment) to identify schemas
- The client talks about an experience but does not feel the emotion
- When we need to pinpoint the scene that activates the schema
- Work with trauma (PTSD, complex childhood experience)
Key phrases
Close your eyes and picture a time when you were. years old. What do you see in this scene?
Follow-up questions
What do you hear in this moment?
What sensations are in the body?
What do you feel as you look at this scene now?
Who else is there? What is happening between you?
Alternative phrasings
Close your eyes and return to that moment. Describe everything you see — the colors, the light, the smells.
What does little you feel right now, in this scene?
Warnings
- ⚠️ Contraindicated in acute psychotic symptoms
- ⚠️ In dissociative disorder — only after special preparation
- ⚠️ Do not apply if the client is in acute crisis
- ⚠️ Dissociation during the exercise: ground physically, ask about the colors in the room
Source: Young, Klosko, Weishaar (2003)
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.