A meta-analysis in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) and prazosin have similar effects in the treatment of nightmares. However, results suggest that adding cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) to IRT enhances treatment outcomes pertaining to sleep quality and posttraumatic stress symptoms. The findings support a role for sleep medicine based nightmare therapies in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), notes a commentary on the study.
