Dr. Joseph Shorr and Psychoimagination Therapy

PsychoImagination Therapy was formulated by Dr. Joseph E. Shorr, whose experiences as a psychotherapist led him to utilize the human imagination as an agent for self awareness and to facilitate change. He observed that waking imagery was more revealing of the individual's inner world than conventional therapeutic methods.

Visual imagery, more than any other mental function, is a modality through which an individual relates to his/her own experiences as well as the experiencing of others. Waking imagery is the central kernel of consciousness and provides the therapist with a window in the world as it is seen by the client.

Clinical experience indicates that there are categories of specific Imaginary Situations which can reveal, in a non-threatening manner, the kinds of information that a person needs to facilitate change. Every person has a natural flow of imagery all during his/her waking hours which provides a primary avenue to the self and to relationships with others. Because imagery bypasses the conscious censor, it is a powerful technique through which thoughts, wishes, expectations, and feelings can be most effectively reactivated and re-experienced. Imagery is a vehicle which offers a rapid, accurate profile of the individual's personality and leads to focusing for change.

Harry Stack Sullivan's interpersonal theory of personality development and R.D. Laing's theory of self and others provide the theoretical framework for PsychoImagination Therapy. Dr. Shorr has blended this theoretical framework with the systematic use of clinical categories of therapeutic imagery.