TITLE:
Integrative Therapy for Insomnia: A Pilot Study to Test an Extended CBT-I Program
AUTHORS:
Jacobien Kamp, Mineke K. Viaene, Hilde Verhoeven
KEYWORDS:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, Primary Insomnia, Comorbid Insomnia
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.12 No.4,
October
9,
2024
ABSTRACT: Research background and Objectives: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is recognized as the preferred non-pharmaceutical treatment for Insomnia. This pilot study aims to test the efficacy of an extended version of CBT-I called Integrative Therapy for Insomnia (IT-I). The traditional CBT-I is complemented with exercises that are expected to enhance relearning to sleep by providing different stimuli, and access options for the retrieval and application of the acquired information, cognition, and skills. Method: The efficacy of the IT-I is measured by comparing the participants’ scores on the Insomnia Severity Index at baseline and post-treatment. In total 29 people, with a wide range of ages, participated in the 8 sessions’ treatment of one hour 45 minutes per session, in mixed groups of age, gender, and primary or comorbid insomnia. Results: Comparing the ISI baseline and post-treatment scores, results show a mean improvement of 7.2 points and a p r = −0.43. Conclusions: The integration of exercises that generate sensory-motor stimuli, and address the mirror neuron system fitting with the Mental Contrasting as a metacognitive strategy seems to facilitate re-learning to sleep in cases of primary insomnia as well as for comorbid insomnia. Further studies will be needed to arrive at more firm conclusions.