Long Term Reduction of Nightmares with Imagery Rehearsal Treatment
Barry Krakow, Robert Kellner, Dorothy Pathak, Lori Lambert
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy April 1, 1996 DOI: 10.1017/s1352465800017409 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA cognitive-behavioral method called imagery rehearsal significantly reduced nightmare frequency in chronic nightmare sufferers over an eighteen-month follow-up. Sixty-eight percent of subjects decreased their nightmares below the criteria for chronic nightmare disorder. Sleep quality and daytime anxiety also improved significantly. These findings suggest that nightmares may be considered a primary sleep disorder in some chronic sufferers.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Longitudinal follow-up study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Chronic nightmare sufferers |
| Intervention | imagery rehearsal |
| Duration | 18-month follow-up |
| Key finding | Imagery rehearsal significantly decreased nightmare frequency, with 68% of subjects no longer meeting criteria for chronic nightmare disorder after eighteen months. |
Abstract
An eighteen month follow-up of chronic nightmare sufferers treated with imagery rehearsal, a cognitive-behavioral method, demonstrated significant and clinically meaningful decreases in nightmare frequency. Sixty-eight percent of subjects decreased their nightmares below criteria for a “Chronic Nightmare Disorder”. Significant improvement was also noted for sleep quality and daytime anxiety. The findings support the theory that nightmares may be clinically conceptualized as a primary sleep disorder in some chronic sufferers.