Abstract Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) is a research-supported behavioral intervention shown to reduce the frequency and severity of nightmares. Research also shows IRT reduces negative mental health symptoms, especially those associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. IRT is straightforward for mental health counselors to facilitate, and the steps for implementing it are described along...
Objective: Up to 40% of adults report poor sleep quality, yet research investigating the role of nightmares on sleep quality is limited. This study aimed to characterise the prevalence of disturbing dreams and nightmares and their relationship to poor sleep quality. Method: 439 adults (310 females, Mage=44.9 years) completed an online survey investigating sleep, dreams, nightmares, and mental...
Nightmares are almost an ubiquitous phenomenon but only nightmare disorders would need to be treated. Nightmare disorders result from a variety of causes including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, or idiosyncrasy. Nightmare disorders can be treated by either pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy. We performed literature search to explore eighteen possible...
The present study examined dream habits, and their relation to sleep patterns, in 1151 preteens (597 boys; 554 girls; 11.31 ± 0.62 years old). Dream questionnaires assessed the frequency of dream recall, nightmare, and lucid dream, as well as the intensity of emotions experienced in dreams. Sleep variables included sleep duration and efficiency, but also different measurements of nocturnal...
The relationship between mindfulness and the frequency with which one experiences lucid dreams is conceptually strong and can be grounded in the continuity hypothesis and in neuroscientific investigations. Only few studies have however been performed regarding this relationship, and comparisons are difficult to make due to methodological issues and discrepancies in results. This study aims to...
Nightmares can adversely affect individuals’ mental health and well-being, necessitating timely psychological intervention. Current nightmare therapy has set high requirements for therapists, appeared abstract to clients, and showed poor interaction between them, due to its extensive information input, lack of sensory stimulation, and exclusive reliance on one-on-one conversation. We propose...
The aim of this research is to determine the influence of the poetics of dreams and nightmares on the nature of the fantastic in the works of H. P. Lovecraft. The article raises the question of the place of dreams, nightmares, and altered (liminal) states of consciousness in "genre-conditioned" fantastic literature, and on the features of their depiction directly in "Lovecraftian horrors." The...
Maladaptive daydreaming is a distinct syndrome in which the main symptom is excessive vivid fantasising that causes clinically significant distress and functional impairment in academic, vocational and social domains. Unlike normal daydreaming, maladaptive daydreaming is persistent, compulsive and detrimental to one’s life. It involves detachment from reality in favour of intense emotional...
Symptoms of insomnia, nightmares, and trauma are highly prevalent. However, there are significant barriers to accessing evidence-based treatments for these conditions, leading to poor mental health outcomes. This pilot trial evaluated the feasibility of a 4-week, digital self-paced intervention combining cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy...
Study Objectives High-frequency EEG activity during sleep (cortical hyperarousal), is a transdiagnostic feature across psychiatric disorders, including nightmare disorder. It is discussed as a target of intervention; however, specific treatment options are yet unavailable. We tested whether exposure to relaxation-associated odor cues during sleep would reduce cortical hyperarousal, i.e. beta...
Lucid dreaming, the experience of being aware of dreaming in the dream, offers a unique window for neuroscientific research. In the last 50 years, the study of lucid dreaming has developed rapidly due to the advances in neuroscience, especially polysomnography and fMRI. This review highlights the neuroscientific basis of lucid dreaming about distinct neural features, varying from brain...
During wakefulness, our thoughts transition between different contents. However, there are moments that are seemingly devoid of reportable content, referred to as mind blanking (MB). It remains unclear what these blanks represent, highlighting the definitional and phenomenological ambiguities surrounding MB. We map out MB in terms of its reportable expressions, neurophysiology, and relationship...
This paper introduces PillowTalk 2.0, a device that allows users to record their dreams upon waking through intuitive, low-effort methods. A 30-day study involving six participants evaluated three activation modalities: squeezing, pulling, and voice commands. Voice activation eliminates the need to locate the device, making it easy to use, particularly in low-visibility situations, but it may...
Abstract Introduction Previous research found that nightmare proneness, a purported disposition to experience frequent nightmares, accounted for nightmare frequency independent of neuroticism and distress. However, these findings may have been the result of reduced reliability and content validity of the measures. The current study aimed to replicate these findings using established, lengthier...
Hearing researchMarch 1, 2025Robin Guillard, Nicolas Dauman, Aurélien Cadix et al.1 citation
Tinnitus is the perception of phantom sound in the absence of a corresponding external source. Previous studies reported that the presence of tinnitus is notably absent during dreams. This study aimed at replicating previous findings regarding tinnitus-free dreams, while also gaining a deeper understanding of tinnitus manifestations during dreams and after awakening. For this observational...
INTRODUCTION: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects nearly half of women worldwide and is associated with sleep disturbances, though the specific relationship between PMS and nightmares remains underexplored. Clinical observations suggest a potential link, leading this study to investigate whether women with PMS experience more frequent or intense nightmares compared to those without PMS....
Background: Insomnia disorder in childhood and adolescence has severe implications on overall well-being and development. Age-specific treatments for insomnia disorder with cognitive behavioral interventions (CBT-I) are available and effective. Nightmare disorder also has severe consequences in children and adolescents. However, less is known about children with insomnia (I) and comorbid...
In this study, we explored whether nightmare distress mediated the correlation between autobiographical memory specificity and depression. 112 participants provided their most recent dreams that happened within one month, and finished some scales that measured depression, autobiographical memory specificity, and nightmare distress. In line with our hypothesis, nightmare distress was the...
Objective/Background Our objective was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to enhance our comprehension of the Big Five personality traits that are associated with nightmare frequency and distress and might thus serve as risk factors for frequent and distressing nightmares.Methods The inclusion criteria for studies were the use of a validated questionnaire to measure the Big Five...
Evidence suggests that (almost) everyone dreams during their sleep and may actually do so for a large part of the night. Yet, dream recall shows large interindividual variability. Understanding the factors that influence dream recall is crucial for advancing our knowledge regarding dreams' origin, significance, and functions. Here, we tackled this issue by prospectively collecting dream reports...