The impact of soothing media on the content of prospective mental imagery: Photo-elicitation and interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Positive mental imagery is believed to counteract the negative effects of anxiety and depression. However, research on MI remains nascent. Participants often report difficulties in generating positive mental imagery, including prospective mental imagery, which involves creating hypothetical future events based on episodic memory. The present qualitative study investigated the prospective mental imagery content and the influence of soothing environments on prospective mental imagery production. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 18–65 years of various nationalities. The data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The study found that prospective mental imagery content, regardless of nationality and age, was related to A) goals, including life and career milestones, B) family time, and C) travel. Participants often recalled episodic memories when imagining future scenarios and used soothing scenarios to construct the prospective mental imagery. These findings suggest that regardless of the similar content across demographics, interpretation is subjective and linked to individual factors. These insights should be considered in the clinical setting when addressing mental imagery.