This expert guide presents current research and practical methods for assessing and treating nightmares, including evidence-based cognitive-behavioral interventions. Clinicians gain tools to diagnose nightmare disorder, address co-occurring conditions, and support patient progress.

This volume in the ###ITALIC#TEXT[Advances in Psychotherapy]### series synthesizes the latest research on the assessment and treatment of nightmares and offers a unique perspective on this frequently overlooked clinical condition. Everyone experiences nightmares, but for some people they occur frequently, which can lead to sleep disruption and the worsening of mental health symptoms. Chronic nightmares are particularly prevalent and impactful in psychiatric patients. This concise book, written by a leading expert in behavioral sleep medicine, presents innovative, up-to-date assessment methods and empirically supported intervention strategies, including the gold-standard cognitive-behavioral therapy for nightmares.

Mental health professionals, researchers, and students will learn to correctly identify and diagnose nightmare disorder and gain access to downloadable resources for patients to log and monitor their symptoms and treatment progress. This invaluable resource also offers practical tools for treating nightmares that co-occur with other psychological and sleep-related disorders. Whether you are seeking to expand your clinical expertise or deepen your research knowledge, this book is your definitive guide to managing nightmares effectively.

###BOLD#TEXT[Praise for the book]###

###ITALIC#TEXT[“The 2025 expert consensus statement laid the groundwork for the umbrella approach CBT-N, and Dr. Worley's book makes this actionable. She shows what the CBT-N toolbox of IRT, ERRT, lucid dreaming therapy, and CBT-I share, where they diverge, and how to choose among them for the patient in front of you. This is the book I will be handing to our practicum students and to the community clinicians who call us about nightmares.”]### ###LINEBREAK###Michael R. Nadorff, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Mississippi State University, Fellow and Former President, Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine

“Nightmares and Nightmare Disorder ###ITALIC#TEXT[is an invaluable resource for clinicians seeking practical, evidence-based guidance for assessing, understanding, and treating nightmare disorder. Worley brings a deep understanding of the scientific literature while making it remarkably accessible and practical. She acknowledges culture and individual context, providing questions that help clinicians explore personal and cultural meaning about dreams and nightmares. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.”]### ###LINEBREAK###Lisa DeMarni Cromer, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Psychology, and Nightmare Treatment Researcher, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK

###ITALIC#TEXT[“This book is very valuable in filling a gap in the available literature on nightmares and nightmare disorder. As the disorder is often underdiagnosed and undertreated, health professionals will appreciate the focus on current etiological models and state-of-the-art treatment strategies.”]### ###LINEBREAK###Michael Schredl, PhD, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany

###ITALIC#TEXT[“There are very few resources available to clinical psychologists on this topic, and of those that exist, most teach a single protocol leaving the clinician to guess when it applies. Worley greatly advances the literature by guiding the reader through nightmare treatment with the CBT-N toolbox. She lays out what IRT, ERRT, lucid dreaming therapy, and CBT-I have in common, where they diverge, and then shows how to choose among them for treating the patient in front of you, including the patient who is unwilling to approach the nightmare content at all. I appreciate the inclusion of a case vignette, which is particularly invaluable to those who are newer to this area, because it follows one client session by session to really help the reader understand what this treatment looks like. The differential diagnosis chapter will save real time for any clinician who is not a sleep specialist and needs to know when a nightmare complaint is actually apnea, REM sleep behavior disorder, or PTSD. Grounded in the 2025 CBT-N consensus statement and refreshingly honest about where the evidence runs out, this is a book I will be handing to our practicum students and to the community clinicians who call us about nightmares.”]### ###LINEBREAK###Michael R. Nadorff, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Mississippi State University, Fellow and Former President, Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine

Nightmares and Nightmare Disorder

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