Treating Chronic Nightmares of Sexual Assault Survivors with an Intellectual Disability – Two Descriptive Case Studies
Biza Stenfert Kroese, Gail Thomas
Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities February 2, 2006 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-3148.2005.00275.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Adults with learning disabilities suffering from post-traumatic nightmares |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 63 |
| Key findings | The adapted imagery rehearsal therapy reduced nightmare-related distress in both cases, with some evidence of generalization to waking life. The authors propose that imagery rehearsal therapy is suitable for people with learning disabilities due to its brevity and simplicity. |
Abstract
Background: Imagery rehearsal therapy for people who suffer from recurring nightmares has been shown to be a successful intervention. Very little research has been conducted on post‐traumatic nightmare sufferers with learning disabilities.
Method: This paper presents two case studies to illustrate the application of an adapted form of imagery rehearsal therapy to adults with learning disabilities.
Results: Both descriptive cases indicated that the intervention resulted in significant reductions in distress because of nightmares and provided some evidence that these positive results were generalized into waking life.
Conclusions: As a short and simple method, imagery rehearsal therapy appears to be very suitable for people with learning disabilities.
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 |
| 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 |
| Dream Recall in Patients With Focal Cerebral Lesions Patients with acute unilateral focal brain lesions without clinical agnosia | 1984 | Observational case series | n = 53 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Nightmare Rescripting: Using Imagery Techniques to Treat Sleep Disturbances in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry April 4, 2022
- Nightmares in Medical Practice Interactive science March 20, 2020
- Imagery rehearsal therapy for frequent nightmares in children. Behavioral Sleep Medicine 2009
Cites 3
- Dreams and the Dream Image: Using Dreams in Cognitive Therapy Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy March 1, 2002
- Imagery rehearsal therapy for chronic nightmares in sexual assault survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA August 1, 2001
- Imagery rehearsal treatment for chronic nightmares. Behaviour Research and Therapy September 1, 1995