The client imagines that the symptom has completely vanished and explores the feelings that arise — in order to discover the hidden emotional function of the symptom.
Step-by-step guide
- Ask the client to close their eyes and imagine: "You wake up tomorrow, and the symptom has completely vanished"
- "What do you feel? Relief? Or something else?"
- "What do you do without the symptom? What becomes possible?"
- "Is there anything troubling in this? Anything that causes discomfort?"
- Explore the discomfort — it is the key to the pro-symptom position
- Formulate: "So the symptom is protecting you from…"
When to use
- Early in therapy — for discovery of the pro-symptom position
- When the client does not see the function of the symptom
Key phrases
Imagine you wake up tomorrow and the symptom is fully gone. Not controlled — gone. Stay with that picture for a minute and tell me what you notice. Relief is only the first answer — we're after what comes after the relief.
Follow-up questions
And after the relief — what's next?
What becomes possible that was not before?
Is any part of you uneasy about that freedom?
What would be the hardest thing about living without the symptom?
Alternative phrasings
If the image is hard to hold, we can do it in smaller pieces — just one hour without the symptom.
If nothing but relief comes, we deepen: "A week has passed. Now?"
Warnings
- ⚠️ If the client speaks only about relief — go deeper: "And what else? And if you stay in this state a whole day? What next?"
Source: Ecker & Hulley, 1996 — Depth-Oriented Brief Therapy; Ecker, Ticic & Hulley, 2012
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.