SLEEPJ
May 8, 2026
Courtney Bolstad, Constance Fung, Lori Davis et al.
Abstract Introduction Nightmares are common, undertreated, and linked to various biopsychosocial issues in veterans. To address this clinical need, a provider training and consultation program in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares (CBT-N) was established in 2020 within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Program evaluation data indicate that clinicians perceive CBT-N to be...
Journal of Sleep Research
April 1, 2026
Severin Ableidinger, Luigi De Gennaro, Sérgio Mota-Rolim et al.
During lucid dreaming (LD), dreamers are aware that they are dreaming and may be able to influence the oneiric content. There has been recent debate about the relative importance of the ability to influence the dream and having agency over the pure awareness of dreaming. To underline this, we examined the associations of lucid dreams without agency (LD-Ag) and lucid dreams with agency (LD + Ag)...
Journal of Sleep Research
February 1, 2026
Courtney J Bolstad, Bjørn Bjorvatn, Ngan Yin Chan et al.
The present study aimed to describe the prevalence rates of frequent (i.e., at least weekly) dream recall and nightmares with consideration for differences in age, gender and sleep duration in 16 countries using equivalent assessment methods. The study sample included 15,854 participants (69.9% women) aged 18-99 years (M = 42.39, SD = 16.43) collected by the International COVID-19 Sleep Study...
Current Psychiatry Reports
November 1, 2025
Christine J So, Courtney J Bolstad, Katherine E Miller
We review the recent published literature on nightmare-focused interventions, including imagery rehearsal therapy, for trauma-exposed adult populations. Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) and prazosin remain the most supported treatments, though results vary across studies. New consensus guidelines have led to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares (CBT-N), which integrates rescripting,...
Journal of Sleep Research
October 1, 2024
Courtney J Bolstad, Brigitte Holzinger, Serena Scarpelli et al.
The association between nightmare frequency (NMF) and suicidal ideation (SI) is well known, yet the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this relation is inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate changes in NMF, SI, and their association during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected in 16 countries using a harmonised questionnaire. The sample included 9328 individuals (4848 women; age...
Behavioural Sleep Medicine
February 25, 2024
Katrina A Rufino, Courtney J. Bolstad, Courtney B. Worley et al.
ABSTRACT Study Objectives The Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI) has been used widely in research and clinical practice without psychometric evidence supporting its use in clinical samples. The present study aimed to explore and confirm the factor structure of the DDNSI in an inpatient sample. We also sought to test the measure’s construct validity. Methods Two samples of...
Nature and Science of Sleep
August 1, 2022
Brigitte Holzinger, Franziska Nierwetberg, Frances Chung et al.
16 citations
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic affects mental health and sleep, resulting in frequent nightmares. Therefore, identifying factors associated with nightmare frequency is important, as it can indicate mental health issues. The study aimed to investigate increases in nightmare frequency comparing the pre-pandemic and pandemic period, and identify its risk factors. Further, the mediating role of...
Nature and Science of Sleep
2022
Serena Scarpelli, Michael R Nadorff, Bjørn Bjorvatn et al.
A growing number of studies have demonstrated that the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has severely affected sleep and dream activity in healthy people. To date, no investigation has examined dream activity specifically in COVID-19 patients. As part of the International COVID-19 Sleep Study (ICOSS), we compared 544 COVID-19 participants with 544 matched-controls. A within-subjects...
Dreaming (New York, N.Y.)
September 1, 2021
Christina Pierpaoli-Parker, Courtney J Bolstad, E. Szkody et al.
Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) is an evidence-based treatment for nightmare disorder (ND), and numerous studies have demonstrated its ef fi cacy in reducing the frequency and severity of nightmares. ND and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) co-occur, yet the impact of successful treatment of nightmares on dream enactment in RBD has not been studied. In this case study, we present the treatment...
Nature and Science of Sleep
2021
Eirin Fränkl, Serena Scarpelli, Michael R Nadorff et al.
Many have reported odd dreams during the pandemic. Given that dreams are associated with mental health, understanding these changes could provide crucial information about wellbeing during the pandemic. This study explored associations between COVID-19 and dream recall frequency (DRF), and related social, health, and mental health factors. We conducted a cross-sectional web survey of 19,355...