Planned Dream Interventions: A Pragmatic Randomized Control Trial to Evaluate a Psychological Treatment for Traumatic Nightmares in UK Military Veterans
Justin Havens, Jamie Hacker Hughes, F. McMaster, Roger Kingerlee
Military behavioral health November 29, 2018 DOI: 10.1080/21635781.2018.1526148 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 92 |
| Population | U.K. Armed Forces veterans |
| Interventions | Planned Dream Interventions (PDI) standard sleep hygiene intervention |
| Duration | 1-month post-session follow-up |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Planned Dream Interventions produced large between-group improvements (average d = 1.1) across sleep quality, nightmare, and PTSD self-report measures compared with standard sleep hygiene at one month post-session. The authors suggest PDI is safe, resource-efficient, and effective but call for further validation. |
Abstract
Abstract Nightmares are a hallmark symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), affecting an estimated 90% of trauma-exposed adults. This article reports on a pragmatic randomized control trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced treatment approach called Planned Dream Interventions (PDI) compared with a standard sleep hygiene intervention. Ninety-two U.K. Armed Forces veterans completed self-report measures (sleep quality, nightmares, and PTSD) pre- and 1-month post-session. Large between group effect sizes (average d = 1.1) were noted across all measures. Overall, findings suggest that PDI is a safe, resource efficient and effective intervention, though further validation is required.
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
Cites 14
- The Twenty-four Hour Mind: The Role of Sleep and Dreaming in Our Emotional Lives Sleep April 1, 2011
- Efficacy of imagery rescripting and imaginal exposure for nightmares: A randomized wait-list controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy June 16, 2017
- Nightmares and Suicide in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Mediating Role of Defeat, Entrapment, and Hopelessness. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine March 1, 2016
- Imagery rehearsal therapy in addition to treatment as usual for patients with diverse psychiatric diagnoses suffering from nightmares: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry September 1, 2015
- A critical review of the evidence base of imagery rehearsal for posttraumatic nightmares: pointing the way for future research. Journal of Traumatic Stress September 30, 2013
and 9 more in the library