30 Ss were asked to imagine 8 different scenes in each of three conditions: muscle relaxation, muscle tension, and usual muscle state. Degree of muscle tension significantly affected the quality of the imagery. Tension resulted in images which were described as more active, more frightening, more out of proportion, less friendly, less attractive, and as containing louder sounds and poorer solutions. Ss also reported feeling more a part of the scene and less safe in the tension condition. No significant differences were found in the vividness or clarity of imagery among three conditions. Implications for desensitization and related therapies are discussed.
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