Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy

Table of Contents - 2003 - Volume 31, Issue 02  


Brief Clinical Reports

“NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP”: COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL TREATMENT OF AN UNUSUAL OBSESSIONAL RITUAL

Kathy Kavanagh a1 and Peter Hayward  a2c1
a1 Croydon Psychological Therapy Services, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, UK
a2 Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

Abstract

The assessment and treatment of an unsuaul pre-sleep ritual are described. The patient had unusual ideas about the probability and consequences of self-harming behaviour in sleep, and averted such behaviour through a ritual with possibly dangerous consequences. The origin and maintaining factors of the ritual are described; a cognitive-behavioural approach was used to treat the ritual, with successful results.


Key Words: OCD; rituals; phobia and exposure treatment.

Correspondence:
c1 Reprint requests to Peter Hayward, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK. E-mail: p.hayward@iop.kcl.ac.uk

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