Imagery rehearsal therapy for frequent nightmares in children.
Mélanie St-Onge, Pierre Mercier, Joseph De Koninck
Behavioral Sleep Medicine 2009 DOI: 10.1080/15402000902762360 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Children aged 9 to 11 with moderate to severe primary nightmares without PTSD |
| Intervention | Imagery rehearsal therapy |
| Duration | 9-month follow-up |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Imagery rehearsal therapy significantly reduced nightmare frequency compared to a waiting-list condition, with effects maintained at 9-month follow-up. |
Abstract
This study examined the applicability of imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) to children with frequent nightmares. Eleven boys and 9 girls aged 9 to 11, with moderate to severe primary nightmares (1 or more per week for 6 months) and without posttraumatic stress disorder, were randomly divided into an imagery rehearsal treatment group (n = 9) or a waiting-list (n = 11) group. ANCOVA with repeated measures revealed that, following a baseline period, IRT reduced the frequency of nightmares (p < .04; eta(2) = 0.22) in the treated group compared to the waiting-list group. This reduction was maintained over a 9-month follow-up. The effects of IRT on post-nightmare state distress could not be assessed due to low nightmare incidences. However, retrospective trait nightmare distress was not significantly reduced. Future research is needed to validate this simple approach for nightmare reduction and to evaluate its potential for the reduction of the associated nightmare distress.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy of a Cognitive‐Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia and Nightmares in Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans With PTSD Combat veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom (mean age... | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A Pilot Study Chronic nightmare sufferers | 2006 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 23 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Psychosocial treatments for nightmares in adults and children: a systematic review BMC Psychiatry April 21, 2023
- Nightmare Rescripting: Using Imagery Techniques to Treat Sleep Disturbances in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry April 4, 2022
- The “Dream Changer”: a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a parent-based intervention for childhood nightmares Sleep February 18, 2022
- The Dream Experience and Its Relationship with Morning Mood in Adolescents Hospitalized after a Suicide Attempt Brain Sciences August 10, 2024
- Treating war- and conflict-related nightmares in children and youth: outcomes of a school-based intervention Frontiers in Sleep January 8, 2026
and 13 more in the library
Cites 11
- Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics February 18, 2010
- Increased Mastery Elements Associated With Imagery Rehearsal Treatment for Nightmares in Sexual Assault Survivors With PTSD. Dreaming December 1, 2004
- Treating Chronic Nightmares of Sexual Assault Survivors with an Intellectual Disability – Two Descriptive Case Studies Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities February 2, 2006
- Imagery rehearsal in the treatment of posttraumatic nightmares in Australian veterans with chronic combat-related PTSD: 12-month follow-up data. Journal of Traumatic Stress October 1, 2003
- Impact of imagery rehearsal treatment on distressing dreams, psychological distress, and sleep parameters in nightmare patients. Behavioral Sleep Medicine 2003
and 6 more in the library