How much consultation time is needed to learn to control nightmares?
Depending upon the severity of the nightmare problem and whether or not there are other associated medical and psychiatric problems, the treatment technique is taught in the range of one to ten hours of consultation time. If you suffer from chronic nightmares that are accompanied by only a mild sleep disturbance, such as mild insomnia and no other serious medical or psychiatric disorders, then imagery rehearsal can be taught in a one hour consultation with perhaps another hour of follow-up required a few weeks or months later. If you suffer from a severe a nightmare disorder associated with more severe sleep problems, for example, moderate or severe insomnia and you also suffer from more complex medical and psychiatric conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia, then it is much wiser to pursue a slower, step-by-step approach that may take ten hours of consultation time, or rarely, even longer. Such patients may also require more regular follow-up co
