Treatment of chronic nightmares in adjudicated adolescent girls in a residential facility.
The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine August 1, 2001 B Krakow, D Sandoval, R Schrader et al.
A one-day imagery rehearsal therapy workshop reduced chronic nightmares in adolescent girls with a history of unwanted sexual experiences. At three months, the treatment group reported 57% fewer nights with nightmares and 71% fewer nightmares per month, while the control group showed no significant change. Sleep quality and posttraumatic stress symptoms did not improve in either group. Imagery rehearsal therapy, which involves changing a nightmare's content and rehearsing the new version daily for 5 to 20 minutes, appears effective for chronic nightmares in this population.