Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal

NCT ID: NCT04529070

Last Updated: 2025-12-18

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

TERMINATED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

68 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-01-21

Study Completion Date

2025-12-09

Brief Summary

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This study aims to test the efficacy of an abbreviated version of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy administered by non-mental health professionals in a Primary Care setting. This treatment, to be called 'Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal Therapy' (NRRT) would arm Primary Care medical personnel with a nonpharmacologic, ten minute intervention for treating recurring nightmares.

The study will provide sleep hygiene education to both the control and experiment groups, NRRT to the experiment group only, and compare their Nightmare Distress Questionnaire and Nightmare Frequency Tool at two (2), four (4), and six (6) week intervals.

Detailed Description

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This is a prospective Randomized Controlled Trial to determine if a standard of care sleep hygiene handout plus a brief 10 minute intervention for recurring nightmares (Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal Therapy) reduces scores on the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire and Nightmare Frequency Tool, when compared to patients solely receiving a handout outlining sleep hygiene techniques. Individuals with a minimum score on the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire and Nightmare Frequency Tool of 15 out of a possible 52 who meet all other inclusion criteria will be invited to participate.

A clinically significant reduction will be considered if a decrease in Nightmare Distress and Frequency measures is greater than or equal to 25% from baseline. Secondary outcomes will include PCL-5 (PTSD), PHQ9 (Depression), GAD7 (Anxiety), ISI (Insomnia Severity Index) scores.

Conditions

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Nightmare Sleep

Keywords

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nightmare rescripting dreams behavioral health sleep

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Intervention + Standard of care

Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal: a 10 minute intervention for Primary Care plus Sleep Hygiene handout.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

This study aims to test the efficacy of an abbreviated version of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy ('Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal Therapy' (NRRT)) administered by non-mental health professionals in a Primary Care setting.

standard of care

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

standard of care

Standard of care

Standard of Care Sleep Hygiene handout alone.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

standard of care

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

standard of care

Interventions

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Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal

This study aims to test the efficacy of an abbreviated version of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy ('Nightmare Rescripting and Rehearsal Therapy' (NRRT)) administered by non-mental health professionals in a Primary Care setting.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

standard of care

standard of care

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Active Duty members and DoD beneficiaries.
* Aged 18 years or older
* Recurring disturbing dreams (at least three times per month for the past one month)
* Participants must score a 15 out of a possible 52 on the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire and Nightmare Frequency Tool in order to qualify.

Exclusion Criteria

* Aged less than 18 years old
* Unwilling to refrain from taking an over the counter or prescription medication for the purpose of improving sleep during the course of the study.
* Participants that score less than a 15 out of a possible 52 on the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire and Nightmare Frequency will be excluded
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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David Moss

FED

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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David Moss

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Mike O'Callaghan Military Medical Center

Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Belicki K. (1992). The relationship of nightmare frequency to nightmare suffering with implications for treatment and research. Dreaming 2 143-148. 10.1037/h0094355

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Böckermann, M., Gieselmann, A., & Pietrowsky, R. (2014). What does nightmare distress mean? Factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ). Dreaming, 24(4), 279-289. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037749

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Collen JF, Williams SG, Lettieri CJ. Doomed to Repeat History: The Burden of Trauma-Related Nightmares in Military Personnel. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018 Mar 15;14(3):303-305. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6964. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29458710 (View on PubMed)

Creamer JL, Brock MS, Matsangas P, Motamedi V, Mysliwiec V. Nightmares in United States Military Personnel With Sleep Disturbances. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018 Mar 15;14(3):419-426. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.6990.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29510796 (View on PubMed)

Harb, G. C., Forbes, D., Phelps, A., Gehrman, P. R., Cook, J. M., Gamble, G. & Ross, R. J. (2010). Treatment Manual for Imagery Rehearsal + cCBT for Insomnia.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Köthe, M. & Pietrowsky, R. (2001). Behavioral effects of nightmares and their correlations to personality patterns. Dreaming, 11, 43-52.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Krakow B, Kellner R, Neidhardt J, Pathak D, Lambert L. Imagery rehearsal treatment of chronic nightmares: with a thirty month follow-up. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 1993 Dec;24(4):325-30. doi: 10.1016/0005-7916(93)90057-4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8077451 (View on PubMed)

Krakow B, Hollifield M, Schrader R, Koss M, Tandberg D, Lauriello J, McBride L, Warner TD, Cheng D, Edmond T, Kellner R. A controlled study of imagery rehearsal for chronic nightmares in sexual assault survivors with PTSD: a preliminary report. J Trauma Stress. 2000 Oct;13(4):589-609. doi: 10.1023/A:1007854015481.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11109233 (View on PubMed)

Levin R, Nielsen TA. Disturbed dreaming, posttraumatic stress disorder, and affect distress: a review and neurocognitive model. Psychol Bull. 2007 May;133(3):482-528. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.3.482.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17469988 (View on PubMed)

Pruiksma, K. E., Slavish, D., Wardle, S. Ojeda, A., Taylor, D., Peterson, A., Kelly, K., Maur, D., Mintz, J., Litz, B., Borah, E., Brundige, A., Young-McCaughan, S., Williamson, D. (2019). Prevalence and correlates of nightmares in Active Duty Service Members. Sleep, (42)1, A267. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsz067.667

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Seda G, Sanchez-Ortuno MM, Welsh CH, Halbower AC, Edinger JD. Comparative meta-analysis of prazosin and imagery rehearsal therapy for nightmare frequency, sleep quality, and posttraumatic stress. J Clin Sleep Med. 2015 Jan 15;11(1):11-22. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.4354.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25325592 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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FWH20200116H

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id