Imagery Rescripting induced transient forgetting of negative autobiographical memories

Imagery Rescripting (ImRs) is a promising intervention for treating emotional disorders associated with distressing autobiographical memories, but its impact on memory recall requires further investigation. This study, based on the retrieval competition hypothesis, proposes a previously overlooked theoretical mechanism, that the process of creating and rehearsing therapeutic imagery in ImRs may require the inhibition of original negative memory representations, thereby reducing their availability. We therefore adapted the retrieval-practice paradigm and conducted two laboratory intervention studies. Experiment 1 (n = 60) examined the effects of ImRs and Imaginal Exposure (ImE) on the recall of original memories, while Experiment 2 (n = 32) explored the temporal boundary conditions of forgetting induced by ImRs intervention. Both experiments used negative autobiographical memories from healthy participants, collected phenomenological ratings (valence, vividness, arousal) before and after the intervention, and employed an extralist cuing strategy for recall testing to avoid the covert cuing strategy. Results indicated that in non-clinical samples, ImRs induced transient forgetting of intervened negative memories, but the recollection of these memories recovered after a 24-hour delay. Consequently, caution is warranted when extending this forgetting effect to clinical treatment protocols or forensic testimony settings.