SELF-DISCLOSURE AND GUIDED IMAGERY

This preliminary experiment studies the use of guided imagery questions to bring the subliminal content of subjects' memories into conscious focus. Subjects are 65 undergraduate students. The interviewers are one male and one female M.A. level mental health professionals.;An extensive literature search shows little previous experimental work on guided imagery techniques used as therapeutic interviewing tools. However, a considerable clinical literature supports the present experimental hypotheses.;Findings show guided imagery questions do not increase the already uniformly high levels of subject self-disclosure, but do increase subjects' response times at the p < .0001 level of significance. Subjects' vividness of imagery scores also remain consistently high, with no significant difference between study and comparison groups. Correlations of subject ratings of self-disclosure and interviewer estimates of subjects' self-disclosure ratings are consistently at p < .01 and usually at p < .001 levels of significance, suggesting high interviewer/subject rapport across all groups.;Present findings fail to confirm clinicians' reports that guided imagery increases client self-disclosure. Guided imagery is neither more nor less effective than interview questions designed not to evoke subjects' imagery in the present research.;A primary premise of this study is that guided imagery techniques used in clinical interviews bridge clients' unconscious and conscious thought and emotions. This fosters client self-disclosure to self and psychotherapist. The present study examines the hypotheses that guided imagery questions presented in an individual interview: (1) increase subject self-disclosure and (2) increase subjects' response times.;The increase in study group subjects' response times may be due to subjects' self-reflection, longer question delivery time, or as yet unidentified factors. Longer response times may also involve non-verbal self-disclosure.;Most clinical orientations report that guided imagery techniques evoke client self-disclosure. However, the literature also shows that rapport with the psychotherapist fosters self-disclosure and awareness of subliminal imagery with or without guided imagery. The strength of the client/therapist with or without guided imagery. The strength of the client/therapist relationship may affect the therapeutic use of guided imagery. Possibly the confidence that client and therapist working together place in guided imagery techniques leads to the clinically reported success of such techniques.;Suggested future research topics include: (1) client self-reflection, non-verbal self-disclosure, and intuition; (2) qualitative content analysis of clients' self-disclosure to self and others; and (3) client/therapist rapport.