One of the interesting things about conferences is that the most important ideas are not always the ones on the slides.
INSPIRE 2026 brought together Schema Therapists from around the world in Thessaloniki, Greece under the theme Innovating Connections: Bridging Mind, Body and Culture Through Schema Therapy. Over three days, attendees explored everything from neurobiology and embodiment to imagery rescripting, deliberate practice, artificial intelligence, positive schemas, childhood trauma, group work, sexuality, parenting, and cultural adaptation.
As Rob Brockman and Chris Hayes reflected afterwards, some of the most memorable moments were not individual studies or workshops. They were the questions that emerged between sessions. Questions about where Schema Therapy is heading, what parts of the model deserve more attention, and how we can continue innovating without losing what made the model effective in the first place.
Rather than attempting to summarise every presentation, this article explores some of the themes that seemed to capture the attention of clinicians throughout INSPIRE 2026.
A Conference Focused on Connection
The theme of INSPIRE 2026 was connection.
Not just connection between therapist and client, but connection between mind and body, between research and practice, between different cultures, and even between people and the natural world.
Looking through the programme, this theme appeared everywhere.
Janis Briedis explored somatic interventions for trauma. Yvonne Reusch focused on body-focused chair work. Jolijn Drost and Wendelien Merens examined mind-body reconnection in eating disorders. Hasan Alp Karaosmanoglu presented on the neurobiology of schema modes. Susan Simpson’s keynote challenged therapists to think about embodiment, interbeing, and nature connectedness as part of Healthy Adult functioning.
Taken together, these presentations reflected a growing trend within Schema Therapy: an increasing interest in what happens beyond cognition.
For many years, Schema Therapy has excelled at helping clients understand their schemas and modes. Increasingly, however, researchers and clinicians are asking how these experiences live in the body, how they shape physiological responses, and how healing may involve more than cognitive or emotional change alone.
Arnoud Arntz and the State of Schema Therapy Research
One of the highlights of the conference was Arnoud Arntz’s keynote, which provided an overview of recent large-scale Schema Therapy research. The presentation included updates on randomised controlled trials, comparisons between Schema Therapy and other evidence-based treatments, and emerging findings from international assessment projects.
According to Rob and Chris, one of the discussions that generated considerable interest involved comparisons between Schema Therapy and DBT for Borderline Personality Disorder.
For many clinicians, DBT and Schema Therapy have traditionally been viewed as two of the leading treatments for complex personality presentations. New research continues to refine our understanding of where each approach excels and what factors may influence outcomes.
Perhaps more interesting than any single result was the sense that Schema Therapy research has matured significantly. The field now has a much larger evidence base than it did even ten years ago, allowing researchers to ask increasingly sophisticated questions.
The conversation is gradually shifting from “Does Schema Therapy work?” to “How does Schema Therapy work?” and “For whom does it work best?”
Are We Becoming Too Focused on Modes?
One of the liveliest discussions at INSPIRE 2026 centred on a surprisingly simple question.
Have we become too focused on modes?
Modes have become the dominant language of contemporary Schema Therapy. Therapists conceptualise through modes, intervene through modes, and often teach through modes.
Yet several presenters raised questions about whether schemas themselves are receiving enough attention.
This isn’t an either-or debate.
Modes remain one of the most clinically useful innovations within the model. They help clients understand shifting emotional states, coping patterns, and internal conflicts in ways that feel intuitive and accessible.
At the same time, schemas remain the deeper structures underneath these experiences.
Many attendees found themselves reflecting on whether the field risks becoming so fascinated by modes that it forgets the schemas they were originally designed to explain.
Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
Modes help us understand what is happening right now. Schemas help us understand why.
The Growing Interest in Positive Schemas
Another noticeable trend throughout INSPIRE 2026 was the growing emphasis on strengths, resilience, and positive schemas.
David Bernstein, Renata Moreira Coelho, and João Victor presented Strengths-Based Schema Therapy, focusing on how therapists can actively cultivate strengths and Healthy Adult functioning rather than focusing exclusively on pathology.
Similarly, Alexandra Yaltonskaya and Natalia Gegel explored Strength-Based Limited Reparenting, while Arjan Videler and colleagues presented new insights into positive dimensions within Schema Therapy.
This represents an interesting evolution within the field.
Traditional Schema Therapy has always involved building the Healthy Adult. However, positive schemas and strengths-based approaches are receiving increasing research attention.
The message wasn’t that therapists should stop working with pain, trauma, or unmet needs.
Rather, it was that healing may involve building something, not just removing something.
The Inner Critic Is Becoming More Complicated
One of the most talked-about workshops before the conference was Rob Brockman and Wendy Behary’s presentation, All Roads Lead to the Critic: Uncovering and Healing the Central Dynamics of Shame, Guilt, and Self-Criticism in Schema Therapy.
The workshop reflected a broader discussion occurring throughout the field.
Historically, punitive and demanding critic modes were often conceptualised as something therapists should challenge, confront, and reduce.
Increasingly, however, researchers and clinicians are adopting a more nuanced perspective.
Some critic modes may have originally developed to preserve attachment, maintain safety, or help individuals navigate difficult environments. The critic may still be harmful, but understanding its function changes how we work with it.
This shift reflects a broader trend in Schema Therapy toward greater curiosity.
Rather than asking only how to silence the critic, therapists are increasingly asking what the critic is trying to achieve.
Imagery Rescripting Continues to Evolve
Few topics received as much attention as Imagery Rescripting.
Remco van der Wijngaart, Julie Krans, and Marjolein van Wijk-Herbrink presented on fine-tuning imagery rescripting to address different core emotional needs. Christopher Lee explored synergies between Schema Therapy and EMDR. Andrew Phipps introduced a novel imagery rescripting protocol for pessimism.
The research discussed at the conference suggested that imagery rescripting remains one of the most promising and versatile interventions within Schema Therapy.
One finding that particularly captured attention involved the timing of imagery work.
Many therapists worry about introducing experiential interventions too early or too late. Emerging findings suggest that readiness and engagement may matter more than precise timing.
This reinforces something many experienced clinicians already know.
Effective therapy is rarely about rigid protocols. It is about understanding the person in front of you.
Trauma Work Is Expanding
Trauma remained a major focus throughout INSPIRE 2026.
Christopher Hayes presented on Schema Therapy for Childhood Sexual Abuse. Robin Spiro, Megan Fry, and Lynda Parry explored Schema Therapy for Dissociative Identity Disorder. Tara Cutland Green, Susan Simpson, and Lia Ranson examined Deep Brain Reorienting and Schema Therapy. Christopher Lee explored integrations with EMDR. Janis Briedis focused on somatic interventions for trauma.
What was striking was the diversity of approaches.
Rather than debating which model is superior, many presenters focused on integration.
The field appears increasingly interested in how Schema Therapy can work alongside other trauma-informed approaches to provide deeper and more flexible treatment options.
Culture Is No Longer an Afterthought
Another major theme throughout the conference was culture.
Presentations explored self-disclosure across cultures, Schema Therapy within collectivistic societies, LGBTQIA+ populations, intergenerational trauma, cultural understandings of shame, and adaptation of interventions across diverse communities.
This feels significant.
For many years, most Schema Therapy research originated in Europe, North America, and Australia. Today, the community has become genuinely international.
The conversations at INSPIRE 2026 reflected a growing recognition that core emotional needs may be universal, while the ways those needs are expressed, understood, and met are often shaped by culture.
AI Has Arrived
One of the newer themes at INSPIRE 2026 involved artificial intelligence.
Daria Rakhubovska and colleagues presented on ethical and clinical questions surrounding AI in Schema Therapy, while Offer Maurer and Michał Schoenberg-Taz explored AI as a potential reparenting facilitator.
Only a few years ago, these conversations would have seemed unusual.
Today they feel inevitable.
The discussions were thoughtful rather than sensational. Presenters focused on practical questions around ethics, safety, regulation, and clinical usefulness.
No one appeared to be suggesting that AI will replace therapists.
The more interesting question was whether technology can support therapeutic processes while preserving the human connection at the heart of Schema Therapy.
Susan Simpson and the Idea That Stayed With Everyone
If there was one presentation that people continued discussing after sessions ended, it was Susan Simpson’s keynote on Rewilding the Healthy Adult.
Her keynote proposed a reconceptualisation of the Healthy Adult through embodiment, relationality, and nature connectedness. Drawing on neuroscience, phenomenology, and Indigenous perspectives, she explored whether disconnection from nature might represent a form of deprivation that has largely been overlooked within contemporary psychology.
Whether or not the field ultimately adopts these ideas formally, the keynote captured something important.
Schema Therapy continues to evolve because people are willing to ask ambitious questions.
Not every idea becomes part of the model.
But the willingness to explore them keeps the field alive.
The People Matter as Much as the Presentations
Perhaps the strongest theme emerging from conversations after INSPIRE 2026 had little to do with any individual workshop.
It was the sense of community.
The conference brought together presenters including Arnoud Arntz, Susan Simpson, Wendy Behary, David Bernstein, George Lockwood, Joan Farrell, Christopher Lee, Janis Briedis, Scott Kellogg, Alison Bocquee, Graham Kell, Hasan Alp Karaosmanoglu, Christoph Loose, Megan Fry, Robin Spiro, Remco van der Wijngaart, Julie Krans, Yvonne Reusch, Eckhard Roediger, and many others contributing to the ongoing development of the model.
What stood out was not simply the expertise in the room.
It was the shared commitment to improving the way therapists understand and meet human emotional needs.
Final Thoughts
INSPIRE 2026 was, appropriately, inspiring.
The conference highlighted a field that continues to grow while remaining connected to its foundations. Research is becoming stronger. Clinical innovations continue to emerge. New perspectives from neuroscience, culture, positive psychology, and embodiment are enriching the model.
Yet perhaps the most encouraging sign was something simpler.
The field continues to question itself.
Schema Therapists are still debating, challenging assumptions, testing ideas, and asking difficult questions.
That willingness to remain curious may be one of the healthiest signs of all.
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