Dream Work and Nightmare Treatments
Patricia T. Spangler, Wonjin Sim
Psychotherapy Skills and Methods That Work September 28, 2023 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197611012.003.0019 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Cognitive experiential dream model Imagery rehearsal therapy Exposure relaxation and rescripting therapy |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | A meta-analysis of eight studies of the cognitive experiential dream model with 514 clients showed moderate effect sizes for session depth and insight gains. A prior meta-analysis of 13 studies with 511 clients found that imagery rehearsal therapy and exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy produced moderate to large reductions in nightmare frequency and small to moderate decreases in sleep disturbance. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter describes methods for working with dreams and nightmares, provides clinical examples, and reviews research evidence of immediate and distal effects of each method. An original meta-analysis of eight studies using the cognitive experiential dream model with 514 clients showed moderate effect sizes for session depth and insight gains. In the nightmare treatment literature, a previous meta-analysis of 13 studies with 511 clients showed moderate to large effects in reducing nightmare frequency and small to moderate effects in decreasing sleep disturbance for imagery rehearsal therapy and exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy. Limitations of the current meta-analysis of cognitive-experiential dream work and of the prior meta-analyses of nightmare treatments are described. The chapter discusses diversity considerations in working with dreams and nightmares and concludes with training implications and therapeutic practices.