According to Harriet Wadeson’s stages, what is the first stage?

• A. Imagery—thinking in images (preverbal)
• B. Decrease defenses
• C. Objectification
• D. Permanence

Answer: (A)

The first stage is imagery—thinking in images (preverbal). In Harriet Wadeson’s framework, clients often begin art therapy by producing nonverbal imagery that expresses inner experiences before they have the words to articulate them. This imagery provides a concrete, visual entry point into feelings, conflicts, and experiences that may be hard to name, and it allows the therapist to observe patterns and emotions without relying on language. As therapy progresses, work tends to move toward more symbolic and verbal processing, but the opening phase centers on creating and interpreting images.

Decrease defenses is a therapeutic process that can occur over time rather than defined as the initial stage. Objectification and permanence refer to concepts from other domains (object relations in therapy and Piagetian object permanence, respectively) and are not stages in Wadeson’s sequence.