A Therapy That Feels Like Psychedelics, Without the Drugs: What New Research Found About RIM

In May 2025, researchers at the University of Colorado College of Nursing published a peer-reviewed study in Frontiers in Psychology that measured brain activity during Regenerating Images in Memory (RIM) sessions. After a single session, participants reported significantly lower depression, anxiety, and stress and higher motivation for self-care. EEG readings showed brain activity shifting in ways the authors compared to findings from psychedelic research. Here is what the study did, what it found, and what it can and cannot tell us.

I am an Expert Facilitator in RIM, so I have a stake in this work. That is exactly why I want to walk you through the research honestly, including its limits.

Who Ran the Study?

The paper is titled "How is a psychotherapeutic process like a psychedelic drug? Neurocognitive evidence for a novel mechanism of action with Regenerating Images in Memory." It was written by Paul F. Cook, Laurra M. Aagaard, Lisa Krug Avery, Nichole Long, and Allen Alford of the University of Colorado College of Nursing, along with Dr. Deborah Sandella, founder of the RIM Institute. It was published on May 15, 2025, and it is open access, so anyone can read it free.

One detail I appreciate: all of the data analysis was performed by Dr. Cook, an independent investigator with no direct affiliation with RIM.

What Did the Researchers Do?

Thirty nursing students took part during the late COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing students were chosen because they face high rates of traumatic stress. Most participants were women, and the average age was about 30.

• Each person received one RIM session lasting one to two hours.
• Sessions were facilitated by Dr. Sandella herself.
• Participants filled out validated questionnaires on depression, anxiety, stress, motivation for self-care, and self-esteem before and after.
• Brainwaves were recorded throughout using a wearable EEG headband.
• Partway through, the team added a questionnaire from psychedelic research that measures altered states of consciousness.

What Did the RIM Study Find?

Symptoms improved after one session

Participants reported significantly lower depression, anxiety, and stress, plus higher motivation for self-care, after a single session. Self-esteem did not change. The effect sizes on four of the five measures were very large, in the range of d = 1.93 to 2.75. The authors note these results were stronger than earlier uncontrolled RIM studies.

Participants rated it highly

Average satisfaction was 4.63 out of 5. Two thirds of participants rated their experience "excellent," and nobody chose "fair" or "poor." The researchers pointed out that many participants already had experience with mental health services, which makes those ratings more meaningful.

Experiences resembled psychedelic research

On the altered-consciousness questionnaire, participants reported levels similar to those seen in psychedelic drug studies, even though no substance was involved. The highest score was on "ineffability," the sense that an experience is too profound to put into words. In some psychedelic studies, ineffability has been linked to symptom improvement.

One participant who had used psychedelics twice before said her RIM experience was in some ways stronger, with a greater sense of control throughout.

The brain shifted, then integrated

RIM sessions move through three stages, often called dip, see, and do. During the middle "see" stage, EEG activity shifted significantly away from the frontal lobes, associated with conscious, narrative thought, and toward the temporal lobes, associated with intuitive, nonconscious processing. In the final stage, the frontal and temporal regions became active together. The authors note this mirrors psychedelic studies that find increased synchronization across brain areas.

Why These Findings Matter

The study tested an idea called Two Minds Theory. It proposes that much of how we cope comes from a fast, intuitive mind that works below conscious thought, while a slower narrative mind explains things afterward. The EEG pattern fits that model. The brain appeared to drop into intuitive processing to do the work, then bring the narrative mind back online to make meaning of it.

This matches what I see in sessions every week. Many of my clients have done years of talk therapy. They understand their patterns completely, and their bodies still run the old loop. The authors describe the same problem: talking about a painful memory often fails to unlock it from analytic processing, so symptoms stay the same.

The study also notes that RIM showed benefits in a single session, compared with the typical 10 to 20 sessions often needed in traditional talk therapy.

What the Study Does Not Prove

The researchers were clear about the limits, and I want to be too.

• There was no control group. Pre-post results cannot prove that RIM caused the improvements. The authors say large randomized trials are needed.
• The facilitator was RIM's founder. Results may reflect ideal conditions rather than typical ones.
• The sample was small and nonclinical. Thirty nursing students is a starting point, and results may differ for people with diagnosed conditions.
• Methods changed partway. The altered-consciousness questionnaire was added during the study, which created some variation in timing.

The authors concluded that RIM is a promising, brief verbal approach that merits further study. That is the honest summary.

What Clients Say Lines Up With the Research

The ineffability finding made me smile when I read it, because my clients say it constantly. One client told me words could not even describe how transformational her session was. Another said it felt like a journey through her body and mind at the same time. A student described an indestructible feeling of calm afterward.

They had no idea researchers had a name for what they were feeling.

Is RIM Right for You?

RIM may be a good fit if you have done a lot of insight work and a pattern still will not move. It is a facilitated, body-based process, and you stay awake and in control the whole time. Sessions with me are offered virtually.

RIM is a complement to mental health care. If you are in crisis or need clinical treatment, please work with a licensed mental health professional.

This article is educational content and is not medical or mental health treatment. If you are in crisis or need clinical care, please contact a licensed professional.

Sources

• Cook PF, Aagaard LM, Krug Avery L, Long N, Alford A, Sandella D. (2025). How is a psychotherapeutic process like a psychedelic drug? Neurocognitive evidence for a novel mechanism of action with Regenerating Images in Memory. Frontiers in Psychology, 16:1539079.

About Annie M. Henderson

Annie is a life coach, five-time author, podcast host of The Liberated Lesbian Lounge, and Expert Facilitator in RIM. She holds a BA in Psychology from Austin College and master's degrees in Education, School Counseling, and Professional Counseling. She spent 15 years in public education as a teacher and school counselor and was previously a Licensed Professional Counselor. She helps women break free from people-pleasing and build boundaries that hold, and shares this work with 118K+ followers on TikTok.

Annie is also the author of Later in Life Lesbian, Women with ADHD, Boundaries in Ink, The Liberation Year, and The Liberation Year Journal. Find her books on Amazon.