Mysticism•June 20, 2025•1 min read

Turning Nightmares into Good Dreams: Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT)

S
Sleep PsychologistContributor

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.**

S

Sleep Psychologist

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