B31-08 Lucid Dream Therapy for Hypnagogic Hallucinations and Sleep Paralysis in Narcolepsy: A New Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine May 1, 2026 I Alvarez Orozco, H MarÍn Agudelo, J L Jurado et al.
A randomized controlled trial with 98 narcolepsy patients in Colombia and Costa Rica tested whether lucid dream therapy combined with imagery control techniques could reduce hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis. The intervention group received six virtual training sessions while both groups continued stable medication with modafinil or methylphenidate. After the intervention, hallucination recall, emotional control, hallucination frequency and distress, and sleep paralysis frequency and discomfort all improved significantly. Sleep quality and quality-of-life measures (vitality, emotional role, mental health) also improved. These benefits persisted at 6- and 12-month follow-up. The control group showed no comparable changes.