Rewriting Memories: Imagining a New Ending Can Lessen The Burden of Painful Remembrances

Memories of childhood criticism can contribute to fear of failure in adulthood. One study tested two therapeutic techniques based on imagery: repeatedly reliving the difficult memory or imagining it with a new, more positive outcome. In young adults with a high fear of failure, both techniques reduced negative emotions and physiological reactions when recalling these experiences. The results suggest that updating the emotional meaning of memories can help lessen their psychological impact over time.

Difficult childhood experiences can leave lasting marks on how a person thinks and feels. Situations such as constant criticism, neglect, or overly harsh reactions from caregivers can influence how someone deals with mistakes throughout life. Over time, these experiences can generate a fear of failure, the idea that making mistakes will cause the person to be rejected or seen as less valuable.

This type of fear is often linked to specific childhood memories. Often, these memories involve moments when the child was criticized or felt humiliated. Even years later, recalling these episodes can trigger intense emotions such as shame, anxiety, or sadness. Therefore, some psychological treatments attempt to work directly with these memories.

One way to do this is by using imagination-based techniques. In these approaches, the person is invited to recall difficult situations and reimagine them in a guided way. Two techniques are common: exposure through imagination and rewriting through imagination.

In exposure through imagination, the person repeatedly recalls the difficult memory with therapeutic support. The idea is that, by revisiting the memory several times in a safe way, the intense emotional reaction gradually decreases. Over time, the brain reacts less to the event, making the memory less disturbing.

In rewriting through imagination, the process is different. First, the person recalls the painful childhood memory. Then, they imagine a more positive or protective outcome for the situation. For example, they might imagine someone offering support or protection at that moment. This process can change the emotional meaning of the memory.

Scientists believe this can happen because memories are not entirely fixed. When we remember an event, it temporarily enters a "malleable" state. During this period, new information can modify the memory before it is stored again in the brain. This process is called memory reconsolidation.

Another mechanism that may explain these changes is something called prediction error. This happens when what a person expects from a situation is different from what actually occurs. When the memory is revisited and a new outcome appears, for example, someone offering protection instead of criticism, the brain perceives this difference and may update the memory.

To investigate how these processes work, researchers conducted a study with young adults who exhibited high fear of failure. Participants were randomly divided into three groups. One group practiced imaginative exposure, another performed imaginative rewriting, and a third performed rewriting with a ten-minute interval between recalling the memory and modifying it, to try to interfere with the biological process of reconsolidation.

For two weeks, participants attended four sessions focused on the same memory of parental criticism. Researchers assessed the changes using questionnaires about emotions and fear of failure. In addition, they measured physical bodily signals linked to stress, such as substances present in saliva and changes in skin conductance.

The scientists also tested whether the effects of the interventions continued over time. To do this, they reassessed the participants three and six months later. They also checked whether the emotional reactions returned when people were exposed to new environments or similar memories.

The results showed that all techniques helped reduce negative emotions and fear of failure. Physical reactions to recalling memories also decreased. However, the version of the technique that included a ten-minute delay was no more effective than the traditional version.

Researchers also observed that moments of emotional surprise during memory rewriting, when the person's expectations were shattered, were associated with stronger therapeutic changes. This suggests that updating the meaning of the memory may be an important element in treatment.

Overall, the study indicates that working with difficult memories through imagination can help reduce the emotional impact of negative childhood experiences. Furthermore, the results help scientists better understand how these psychological techniques work in the brain.

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Imagine yourself as a little girl…—efficacy and psychophysiology of imagery techniques targeting adverse autobiographical childhood experiences- multi-arm randomised controlled trial

Julia Bączek, Stanisław Karkosz, Magdalena Pietruch, Robert Szymański, and Jarosław M. Michałowski. 

Frontiers in Psychology. 16 January 2026. Volume 16 - 2025 

DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1710963

Abstract:

Fear of failure is often rooted in highly self-critical autobiographical memories that elicit persistent distress and avoidance. Imagery-based interventions aim to reduce the impact of such memories, yet their mechanisms of action remain unclear. In this three-arm parallel group randomised controlled trial, 180 young adults with elevated fear of failure were randomly assigned to imagery exposure, standard imagery rescripting, or imagery rescripting with a 10-min delay designed to disrupt memory reconsolidation. Across four sessions delivered over 2 weeks, outcomes were assessed using self-report measures and physiological markers, with follow-ups at 3 and 6 months. All interventions led to significant and sustained reductions in negative emotions, arousal, and fear of failure, as well as decreased physiological reactivity to autobiographical memories of criticism. Contrary to predictions, delayed rescripting did not show superiority, while planned contrasts suggested more consistent benefits of standard rescripting compared to delayed rescripting and a rebound effect after exposure. Notably, prediction error, operationalised as transient increases in physiological arousal during rescripting, predicted stronger therapeutic change in rescripting but not in exposure. These findings demonstrate that both common therapeutic factors and prediction error contribute to durable improvements in emotional responses to adverse memories, advancing the understanding of mechanisms underlying imagery-based techniques.