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Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A Pilot Study

Victor I. Spoormaker, Jan Van den Bout

Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2006 DOI: 10.1159/000095446 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Pilot study Peer reviewed
Sample size 23
Population Chronic nightmare sufferers
Duration 12-week follow-up
Topics Dreaming Lucid dreaming
Citations 155
Key findings Lucid dreaming treatment reduced nightmare frequency, but lucidity was not necessary for the reduction.

Abstract

Background: The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of the cognitive-restructuring technique 'lucid dreaming treatment' (LDT) on chronic nightmares. Becoming lucid (realizing that one is dreaming) during a nightmare allows one to alter the nightmare storyline during the nightmare itself.

Methods: After having filled out a sleep and a posttraumatic stress disorder questionnaire, 23 nightmare sufferers were randomly divided into 3 groups; 8 participants received one 2-hour individual LDT session, 8 participants received one 2-hour group LDT session, and 7 participants were placed on the waiting list. LDT consisted of exposure, mastery, and lucidity exercises. Participants filled out the same questionnaires 12 weeks after the intervention (follow-up).

Results: At follow-up the nightmare frequency of both treatment groups had decreased. There were no significant changes in sleep quality and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Lucidity was not necessary for a reduction in nightmare frequency.

Conclusions: LDT seems effective in reducing nightmare frequency, although the primary therapeutic component (i.e. exposure, mastery, or lucidity) remains unclear.

In the evidence

This study is part of the evidence base for 2 syntheses in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.

  • State of the evidence: Dreaming Supports

    Lucid dreaming treatment reduced nightmare frequency at 12-week follow-up in individual and group formats, with no change in sleep quality or PTSD severity, and lucidity was not necessary for the reduction.

    Synthesized

  • State of the evidence: Lucid dreaming Supports

    Lucid dreaming treatment reduced nightmare frequency at 12-week follow-up, but lucidity was not necessary for the reduction and sleep quality and PTSD symptoms did not change.

    Synthesized

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on lucid dreaming, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Testing the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in lucid dreaming: A tDCS study Participants spending three consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory 2013 Randomized controlled trial n = 19
Effectiveness of motor practice in lucid dreams: a comparison with physical and mental practice Adults who completed an online experiment 2015 Randomized controlled trial n = 68
Pre-sleep treatment with galantamine stimulates lucid dreaming: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study Adults with high dream recall and an interest in lucid dreaming 2018 Randomized crossover trial n = 121
Studies with lucid dreaming as add-on therapy to Gestalt therapy Adults with nightmares (ICD-10: F51.5) at least twice a week 2015 Randomized controlled trial n = 32
Increased lucid dream frequency in long-term meditators but not following MBSR training. Long-term meditators and meditation-naïve individuals 2019 Cross-sectional study and blinded randomized controlled trial

Citations in the library

Cited by 91

and 86 more in the library

Cites 9

and 4 more in the library

Related reading

Explore topics

Dreaming Lucid dreaming