Abstract
Background: The Eidetic Model of Growth (EMG) is the only imagery-based form of psychotherapy for people with intellectual disability (PWID). It is an adaptation of Akhter Ahsen's Eidetic Psychotherapy. It consists of two distinct parts. One, carried out by staff, contributes to the creation of a therapeutic environment that encourages people with intellectual disabilities to engage in meaningful and skill-enhancing activities of their choosing while protecting them from environmental stresses. The second arm is intended to provide therapeutic support in overcoming experiential, emotional, and deep-seated traumatic experiences. This review, though, focuses on the therapeutic arm of EMG.
Aim and Scope: The purpose of this review is to provide a fundamental understanding of eidetic theory and how consciousness functions in PWID, stressing the similarities and differences between them and typically developing individuals. With a theoretical basis, this review examines five cases of various prevalent difficulties in the ID population to explain the procedures and efficacy of techniques evolved in EMG.
Outcome: The appraisal of five cases suggests that EMG approaches are effective in addressing chronic behavioural and emotional issues, corroborating the eidetic theory regarding how consciousness functions in PWID.
Implications: Firstly, this review attempts to highlight the theoretical comparison between how consciousness functions in PWID and typically developing individuals. Secondly, it explains how eidetic theory when comes into therapeutic format, produces remedial outcomes. This review presents a theoretical framework, scientific evidence for imagery-based psychotherapy for PWID, and therapeutic procedures based on five cases of varying difficulty and ability. Thirdly, it indicates the potential of PWID to receive psychotherapy to overcome the chronic issues deeply rooted in their developmental and experiential history. Fourthly, it indicates at the potential of eidetic imagery to generate remedial outcomes in those with language barriers.
This way, multi-layered theoretical and therapeutic implications of EMG are attempted to highlight.