Imagery rehearsal treatment for chronic nightmares.
Behaviour Research and Therapy September 1, 1995 DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(95)00009-m (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 58 |
| Population | Chronic nightmare sufferers |
| Duration | 3-month follow-up |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Imagery rehearsal therapy produced significant and clinically meaningful reductions in nightmare frequency and improvements in self-rated sleep quality compared with a wait-list control group at 3-month follow-up. The authors propose that for some chronic sufferers, nightmares may be a primary sleep disorder that can be treated effectively and inexpensively with cognitive-behavioral therapy. |
Abstract
Fifty-eight chronic nightmare sufferers were randomly assigned to two groups: treatment (n = 39) and wait-list control (n = 19). Treated Ss were taught a cognitive-behavioral technique called imagery rehearsal in which they learned in a waking state to change a nightmare and then to visualize the new set of images. Subjects were assessed pre-treatment and 3 months followup for nightmare frequency, self-rated distress and subjective sleep quality. Compared to controls, the treatment group showed significant and clinically meaningful decreases in nightmares. Treated Ss decreased nightmares as measured in nights/week (mean = -2.0, SD = 1.7, P = 0.0001) and actual number of nightmares (mean = -4.2, SD = 4.5, P = 0.0001). Significant improvement in self-rated sleep quality occurred in those treated compared with controls (P = 0.004); and, reduction in nightmares was a significant predictor of improvement in sleep (r = 0.55, P = 0.0001). These preliminary results lend support to the theory that, for some chronic sufferers, nightmares may be conceptualized as a primary sleep disorder which can be effectively and inexpensively treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy.
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 |
| The Beneficial Effects of One Treatment Session and Recording of Nightmares on Chronic Nightmare Sufferers Adults with chronic nightmares (mean duration 17.2 years) | 1992 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 20 |
| 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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 60
- Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives Journal of Sleep Research January 29, 2019
- Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A Pilot Study Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2006
- 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
- Studies with lucid dreaming as add-on therapy to Gestalt therapy Acta Neurologica Scandinavica January 30, 2015
and 55 more in the library