Turning Nightmares into Good Dreams: Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT)
S
Sleep Psychologist Contributor
Nightmares are Repetition of ‘Unresolved Fear’
The brain runs simulations in dreams to process fear experienced during the day. But if it doesn’t find a solution, it gets stuck in a loop repeating the same nightmare.
Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT)
- Record the dream content vividly.
- Find the scariest moment. (e.g., A ghost grabbed my ankle)
- ** (e.g., When the ghost grabbed my ankle, I laughed “Want to give me a foot massage?” and it vanished / I flew away in an Iron Man suit)
- Before sleeping, vividly imagine the changed ending for 5 minutes (Rehearsal).
Through this training, you can implant a new scenario of “I am safe” into the brain.**
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