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Long-term treatment effects of imagery rehearsal therapy for nightmares in a population with diverse psychiatric disorders

Annette van Schagen, Jaap Lancee, Victor I. Spoormaker, Jan Van den Bout

UvA-DARE 2016 DOI: 10.11588/ijodr.2016.1.24953 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Population Patients with diverse psychiatric disorders and nightmares
Intervention Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT)
Duration Six- and nine-month follow-up
Topics Dreaming
Citations 8
Key findings Moderate improvements from imagery rehearsal therapy over treatment as usual on nightmare distress, general psychopathology, and posttraumatic stress symptoms were sustained at six- and nine-month follow-up. The authors argue this indicates IRT has long-lasting effects and supports treating nightmares as a separate disorder.

Abstract

Nightmares are a common problem with debilitating consequences. Meta-analyses have revealed that imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT), in which the storyline of the recurring nightmare is changed, is the treatment of choice for nightmares. In a randomized clinical trial, we recently demonstrated that IRT was also effective in a population of patients with diverse psychiatric disorders. In this trial, IRT showed moderate additional benefits over treatment as usual on nightmare distress, general psychopathology, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. In the current paper we report on the six- and nine month follow-up measurements of this trial. In the six- and nine-month follow-up the moderate improvements observed at post-treatment were sustained for all measures. This means that IRT has long-lasting effects which supports the notion that nightmares can and should preferably be treated as a separate disorder.

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

Cited by 5

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