AI-enhanced imagery rehearsal therapy: A novel approach to treating nightmare disorder

Dear Editor,
Recurrent nightmares represent a significant challenge in pediatric mental health, affecting approximately 3–6% of children and adolescents [1,2]. Beyond occasional bad dreams, these distressing nocturnal experiences can precipitate significant sleep-related anxiety, avoidance behaviors, and deterioration in both sleep quality and quantity [[2], [3], [4]]. Maladaptive consequences often extend beyond the nighttime, manifesting in daytime cognitive impairments, elevated emotional and behavioral problems, disrupted family dynamics, and increased vulnerability to other mental health conditions [[5], [6], [7], [8]]. When nightmares become frequent and chronic, meeting diagnostic criteria for nightmare disorder [9], they create a substantial burden on child and family well-being, necessitating targeted therapeutic intervention.