Drawing your way out: Imagery rehearsal based art therapy (IR-AT) for post-traumatic nightmares in borderline personality disorder.
Timea Kehr, Suzanne Haeyen
Journal of Clinical Psychology May 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23638 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 40-year-old woman with borderline personality disorder and posttraumatic nightmares |
| Intervention | imagery rehearsal based art therapy |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Ir‐at Art therapy Imagery rehearsal Nightmares Rescripting Trauma |
| Key findings | Aurelia noticed a reduction in her nightmares, was less afraid of them, felt calmer towards her trauma, developed more self-efficacy, and perceived a decrease in borderline symptoms after imagery rehearsal based art therapy. |
Abstract
Posttraumatic nightmares (PTN) are a frequent symptom after a traumatic event and often play part in the psychopathology of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) currently offers the best evidence for an effective treatment to reduce PTNs, although high drop-out rates are common. Art therapy in IRT may counteract this, by its indirect, nonverbal, and often playful approach that helps to break through avoidance. This case study focusses on the perception of a patient with BPD in an art therapy based IRT treatment for patients with PTNs. It tells the story of Aurelia, a 40-year-old woman who, within this treatment, processes traumatic contents of her childhood like physical and sexual violence, but also current interactional problems that manifest themselves in her nightmares. Following the IR-AT treatment for PTNs Aurelia noticed a reduction in her nightmares, was less afraid of them and felt calmer towards her trauma. She expressed herself in the art medium and by this developed more self-efficacy. Her process resulted in an integration of the trauma and a perceived decrease in borderline symptoms. Future research can build on this basis to further explore the mechanisms and effects of IR-AT for PTNs.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming as a Learnable Skill: A Case Study The author | 1980 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares People with recurrent nightmares | 2010 | Case study | n = 5 |
| Treating Chronic Nightmares of Sexual Assault Survivors with an Intellectual Disability – Two Descriptive Case Studies Adults with learning disabilities suffering from post-traumatic nightmares | 2006 | Case study | n = 2 |
| Lucid dreaming: Correspondence between dreamed and actual events in one subject during rem sleep A lucid dreamer | 1984 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid dreaming treatment for nightmares: A series of cases. Participants with nightmares | 2003 | Case series | n = 8 |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives Journal of Sleep Research January 29, 2019
- Nightmares and psychiatric symptoms: A systematic review of longitudinal, experimental, and clinical trial studies. Clinical Psychology Review December 17, 2022
- Imagery Rehearsal Based Art Therapy: Treatment of Post-traumatic Nightmares in Art Therapy. Frontiers in Psychology January 14, 2021
- Management of nightmares in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: current perspectives. Nature and Science of Sleep November 26, 2018
- Management of Post-Traumatic Nightmares: a Review of Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Treatments Since 2013. Current Psychiatry Reports October 11, 2018
and 6 more in the library