Posttraumatic sleep disturbances in veterans: A pilot randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and imagery rehearsal therapy.

Objectives: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with sleep disturbances including insomnia and nightmares. This study compared cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) with CBT-I combined with imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) for nightmares to evaluate if the combined treatment led to greater reductions in trauma-related sleep disturbances in Australian veterans.

Methods: Veterans with diagnosed PTSD, high insomnia symptom severity, and nightmares (N = 31) were randomized to eight group CBT-I sessions or eight group CBT-I + IRT sessions.