Case Report: Why Sleep and Dream Related Psychological Treatments, Such as Sleepcoaching (According to Holzinger&Klösch) and CBT-I Should Be Implemented in Treatment Concepts in the Public Health System-Description of the Nightmare Treatment Process in the Context of PTSD.
Frontiers in psychology – January 01, 2021
Source: PubMed
Summary
A woman with severe PTSD experienced a significant reduction in her recurring nightmares after just six weeks of lucid dreaming training. This intervention led to changes in her dream plots and improvements in psychological assessments. Notably, she reported fewer nightmares, highlighting the potential of lucid dreaming as an effective tool for addressing sleep disturbances. Emphasizing the importance of focusing on sleep and nightmares in treating PTSD could enhance public health strategies, particularly when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and sleep coaching methods.
Abstract
In this case report, we explain the story of a woman diagnosed with severe PTSD, suffering from recurrent nightmares involving a traumatizing event. She participated in 6 week lucid dreaming training to help her reduce her nightmare frequency. Our descriptions include her dream reports as well as the results of the psychological assessment conducted. In only 6 weeks, she was able to begin to change her dream plots and to improve several of the psychological measures. In this case, we stated that paying more attention to sleep and, especially nightmares, not only in patients with PTSD, should be standard in treatment processes for psychiatric disorders. We, therefore, underpin our case with literature that explains the benefits of treatments, specifically for sleep problems that do not involve medication.