Understanding Nightmare Disorder and A brief overview of required Psychological Interventions

Nightmare disorder involves repeated, vividly recalled, distressing dreams that wake a person and cause significant impairment. Factors linked to the condition include traumatic experiences, childhood adversities, thought suppression, maladaptive beliefs, and medical conditions like sleep apnea. Psychological treatments take three approaches: addressing the subjective meaning of nightmares, interrupting their pathological repetition, and correcting maladaptive beliefs about nightmares.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Nightmare disorder is a mental health condition characterized by repeated occurrences of extended, well-remembered, dysphoric dreams, often involving themes of threat, that result in awakening from sleep and significant distress and impairment. Research points to factors such as traumatic experiences, childhood adversities, suppression of thoughts, maladaptive beliefs, other medical conditions such as sleep apnea. Psychological treatments for nightmare disorder can have three approaches, treatments that emphasize on the subjective meaning of nightmares, the pathologic repetition of the nightmares and maladaptive beliefs about nightmares.