NCT06335784

Mental Imagery and Targeted Memory Reactivation in Insomnia

Recruiting now NA Last updated 3 March 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Imagery Rescripting (IR) in Insomnia Disorder in 120 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

22 April 2024

Primary endpoint
31 May 2027

31 August 2027

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University Hospital, Geneva
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	single
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	120
Start date	22 April 2024
Primary completion	31 May 2027
Estimated completion	31 August 2027
Sites	1 location across Switzerland

Drugs / interventions tested

• Imagery Rescripting (IR)
• Imagery Rescripting (IR) and Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR) during sleep
• Sleep Hygiene
• Sleep Hygiene + Odor
• "Rocking bed" if patients still have insomnia complaints (ISI >10) after the 4 weeks of the intervention

Conditions studied

• Insomnia Disorder — all drugs for Insomnia Disorder →

Sponsor

University Hospital, Geneva

Who can join

Adults 18 to 45, any sex, with Insomnia Disorder. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

In this clinical trial, the investigators test whether mental Imagery Rescripting (IR), a technique where the individual is instructed to transform a negative memory or image into a positive one, and olfactory Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR), a technique used to strengthen memories, can reduce hyperarousal and insomnia severity in patients with Insomnia Disorder (ID).

Patients with ID will be randomized into four groups: in the first group (SH group), patients will have 4 weekly sessions (1 session/week) of a minimal intervention for insomnia (sleep hygiene information) in the presence of an odorless diffuser, which will be also used during the night. In the second group (IR group), patients will use IR during wakefulness to induce a state of relaxation and positive emotionality. More specifically, during 4 weekly sessions of IR, patients will imagine a negative scenario related to their pre-sleep images or current concerns (e.g., social interactions, self-image, sleep problem, nightmares) and transform it into a positive script. They will then perform IR every day for 4 weeks at home in the presence of an odorless diffuser, which will be also used during the night. In the third group, patients will undergo the same 4 weekly IR sessions and an odor will be paired to the positive imagery and will be diffused during the night (TMR group). Patients from this group will also perform IR every day for 4 weeks at home. Finally, the fourth group (OA group) will receive 4 weekly sessions of sleep hygiene instructions in the presence of an odor, which will be also used during the night.

Clinical evaluation of insomnia severity before and after the intervention will take place using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI, primary outcome measure).

At the end of these interventions, patients with persistent symptoms will benefit from an alternative experimental treatment ("rocking bed") in which they will be cradled for one night.

The investigators hypothesize that patients treated with IR will have significantly reduced insomnia severity compared to participants who received a minimal intervention. They also hypothesize that patients of the TMR group, will have more reduced ID severity compared to participants performing IR and with an odorless diffuser, therefore without an association (IR group). Finally, they hypothesize that one night of sleeping in a rocking bed will improve objective measures of sleep in ID compared to a stationary condition.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.