Rehearsal in the Treatment of Recurring Nightmares in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders and Panic Disorder: Case Histories

AbstractFour patients (three with the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] and one with panic disorder) with recurring and extremely distressing nightmares were treated with one session in which the patients were advised to rehearse the nightmare, and to imagine a different ending. In three patients the nightmares ceased abruptly with no recurrences on follow-up. None of the three patients who recovered managed to imagine a favorable ending of the nightmare, so factors other than a triumphant ending appeared to be the effective ingredient of the treatment.