New Workbook Offers Evidence-Based Strategies to Treat Nightmares and Insomnia
Summary: A new, research-driven workbook presents practical, therapist-informed methods to reduce chronic nightmares and improve sleep. Combining the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s top-recommended approach—imagery rehearsal therapy—with other evidence-based techniques, the guide teaches readers how to reshape distressing dreams, establish healthier sleep routines, and restore daytime functioning. Written for people who struggle with repeated sleep disruption, the workbook provides a step-by-step plan to regain restful nights and better overall well-being.
Key Facts:
- Imagery Rehearsal Therapy: The workbook centers on this leading, evidence-backed method for rewriting upsetting dreams and reducing their recurrence.
- Nightmare Prevalence: Frequent nightmares affect roughly 10% of adults and up to 20% of children, making them a common yet under-treated problem.
- Access to Treatment: Relatively few clinicians specialize in nightmare-specific therapies, increasing the value of a practical, self-guided workbook that brings empirically supported methods to a wider audience.
Source: Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University faculty are sharing a new, accessible resource aimed at a universal human need: better sleep.
MSU Psychology Professor Michael R. Nadorff and co-author Courtney Worley, a board-certified psychologist, have created a workbook designed to help people break the cycle of persistent nightmares and sleep disturbance. Their book, titled “The Nightmare and Sleep Disorder Toolkit: A Workbook to Help You Get Some Rest Using Imagery Rehearsal Therapy and Other Evidence-Based Approaches,” will be published by New Harbinger Publications on Oct. 1 and is available for pre-order.
Nightmares are more than unpleasant dreams: for many individuals they cause chronic sleep loss, daytime fatigue, and impaired quality of life. Nadorff and Worley structure the workbook as a clear, stepwise program that teaches proven techniques to rewrite nightmare content, manage associated anxiety, and rebuild consistent sleep habits. The emphasis is practical—readers learn concrete exercises and strategies that can be used independently or alongside professional care.
Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT), the primary method presented, asks people to intentionally rescript their recurring nightmares in waking life, then rehearse the new, less-distressing version. Clinical trials and systematic reviews identify IRT as a top-ranked treatment for chronic nightmares, and this workbook adapts that approach into straightforward modules, worksheets, and practice plans intended to be usable by a broad audience.
Alongside IRT, the authors include supportive techniques to improve overall sleep quality, such as sleep scheduling, relaxation skills, and guidance for addressing insomnia that commonly co-occurs with nightmare disorders. The workbook also helps readers identify potential triggers and contributing factors—stress, trauma reminders, irregular sleep patterns—and offers strategies to address those underlying sources of disruption.
Michael R. Nadorff brings decades of clinical and research experience to the project. He directed Mississippi State’s clinical psychology Ph.D. program for ten years and led its accreditation process in 2016. His research focuses on sleep disturbances and their links to suicidal behavior; his work has received more than $15 million in external grant funding from agencies including the NIH and CDC. Nadorff is an immediate past-president and a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, has served on the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology since 2021, and has contributed more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Courtney Worley is a Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine who has worked extensively in trauma-focused and sleep clinics within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She has served as a lead trainer in Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD and has led national training efforts for evidence-based PTSD and sleep interventions. Worley’s clinical and training roles, combined with her research on nightmares and psychiatric comorbidities, helped shape the workbook’s practical, trauma-informed approach.
Together, the authors aim to make empirically supported nightmare treatments accessible to people who lack access to specialized clinicians. The workbook’s tools are suited for individuals seeking self-help, for clinicians looking to incorporate IRT into practice, and for families supporting children or adults suffering from recurrent nightmares.
The book is available for pre-order now and will begin shipping following its official release on Oct. 1.
About this nightmare and insomnia research news
Author: Chris Bryant
Source: Mississippi State University
Contact: Chris Bryant – Mississippi State University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News