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ViewAttendees 6

Symposia

Cognitive Science/ Cognitive Processes

How adaptive mental time travel can reduce anxiety and improve well-being: Novel CBT approaches to revisiting the past and reimagining the future

1 - (SYM 68) Reimagining the Past in Social Anxiety: Acute Effects of Imagery Rescripting versus Positive Memory Self-processing

Sunday, November 23, 2025
2:06 PM - 2:27 PM CST
Location: Celestin D&E, Level 3
Keywords: Anxiety, Cognitive Processes, Translational Research
Recommended Readings: Moscovitch, D. A., Moscovitch, M., & Sheldon, S. (2023). Neurocognitive Model of Schema-Congruent and -Incongruent Learning in Clinical Disorders: Application to Social Anxiety and Beyond. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(6), 1412-1435. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221141351,   Craske, M. G., Dunn, B. D., Meuret, A. E., Rizvi, S. J., & Taylor, C. T. (2024). Positive affect and reward processing in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and trauma. Nature Reviews Psychology, 3(10), 665–685. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-024-00355-4,   Benito, K., Pittig, A., Abramowitz, J., Arch, J. J., Chavira, D., de Kleine, R., De Nadai, A. S., Hermans, D., Hofmann, S. G., Hoyer, J., Huppert, J. D., Kircanski, K., McEvoy, P. M., Meyer, H., Monfils, M.-H., Papini, S., Rief, W., Rosenfield, D., Storch, E. A., … Smits, J. A. J. (2024). Mechanisms of Change in Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Related Disorders: A Research Agenda. Clinical Psychological Science, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026241240727,   ,  
Abstract Body

According to the Schema-Congruent and Incongruent Learning (SCIL) model (Moscovitch et al., 2023), effective treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD) should consist of interventions that both weaken negative self-schemas and strengthen positive ones. Prolific participants from North America and UK (N = 300: 35.6% White, 27.1% Asian, 22.4% Black, 14.9% Other; 52.5% male) were randomized into one of three brief online intervention conditions: (a) imagery rescripting (IR) of a negative social autobiographical memory; (b) positive memory self-processing (PMSP) of a positive social autobiographical memory; or (c) a non-memory control condition. Well-validated measures of affect (PANAS) and self-schemas (BCSS) were collected at baseline, after memory retrieval, and at post-intervention. For positive affect (PA), irrespective of SAD symptom levels, PMSP increased PA more than both the control condition, Mdiff = 8.97, p < .001, 95% CI [3.95, 14.00], and the IR condition, Mdiff = 10.45, p < .001, 95% CI [5.25, 15.65], with no difference between IR and control (p = 1.000). For negative affect (NA), PMSP reduced NA compared to IR irrespective of SAD symptoms, Mdiff = -1.63, p = .046, 95% CI [-.02, 3.24], with no differences between IR and control or between PMSP and control (ps > .30). For positive self-schemas (PSS), irrespective of SAD symptom levels, PMSP boosted PSS compared to both control, Mdiff = 2.07, p < .001, 95% CI [.94, 3.19], and IR, Mdiff = 1.95, p < .001, 95% CI [.80, 3.10], with no difference between IR and control (p = 1.000). Finally, for negative self-schemas (NSS), IR reduced NSS compared to both control, Mdiff = -1.37, p = .016, 95% CI [-.19, 2.54], and PMSP, Mdiff = -1.55, p = .005, 95% CI [-.37, 2.74], with no difference between PMSP and control (p = 1.000). The advantage of IR in reducing NSS was especially strong for high SA participants compared to control, Mdiff = -2.03, p = .024, 95% CI [-.20, 3.87], and PMSP, Mdiff = -2.80, p = .001, 95% CI [-.92, 4.69], with no difference between conditions for low SA participants (all ps > .563). Results highlight the specificity and practical utility of brief memory-based interventions for social anxiety.