Dream Anxiety Disorder Treatment in India

Angel Roy is a 28-year-old elementary...

Angel Roy is a 28-year-old elementary school teacher. She grew up in a supportive family but witnessed a traumatic car accident at age 10. For the past year, she has been experiencing vivid, terrifying nightmares 4-5 times a week, almost always involving reliving the accident. She wakes up gasping, with a racing heart, and feels exhausted and anxious all day. This has started affecting her work, as she struggles with concentration and irritability with her students. Her primary care doctor, after ruling out physical causes, referred her to a psychiatrist, Dr. Evans. Dr. Evans diagnosed her with Nightmare Disorder (a type of Dream Anxiety Disorder) with PTSD features. He recommended a course of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT), a cognitive-behavioral technique. In weekly sessions, Angel learned to rewrite the endings of her recurring nightmare in a positive, empowering way while awake, and then mentally rehearse this new version. The first few sessions were emotionally draining, as she had to confront the traumatic memory. However, by the fourth session, she reported her first nightmare-free night in months. After 12 weeks of treatment, Angel's nightmares reduced to once a month or less. She feels rested, her daytime anxiety has significantly decreased, and she feels a sense of control she hadn't felt since childhood. Her emotional journey moved from constant dread of sleep and daytime fatigue to hopeful engagement in therapy, culminating in profound relief and regained peace. She feels she has finally processed the old trauma.