Sweet dreams are made of C69 and scientists now have proof.
A single piano chord might be all it takes to transform terrifying nightmares into peaceful dreams. At Geneva University Hospitals, researchers used a C69 chord played at 42 decibels during sleep and combined it with positive imagery therapy.
The result? Patients’ weekly nightmares dropped from three to less than one.
How Sound Changes Dreams
The researchers developed a two-part approach to target nightmares.
First, the patients learn to reimagine their recurring nightmares with peaceful endings. This is done while a soft C69 piano chord at 42 decibels is played in the background.
When the patients sleep, this exact chord is used to redirect their nightmares into the peaceful endings they imagined.
This approach taps into “targeted memory reactivation,” where replaying sounds associated with positive experiences during sleep helps strengthen those beneficial memories.
“There is a relationship between the types of emotions experienced in dreams and our emotional well-being,” explained lead researcher Lampros Perogamvros.
“Based on this observation, we had the idea that we could help people by manipulating emotions in their dreams.”
To deliver this nighttime therapy, researchers equipped patients with the Dreem headband, which is a specialized EEG device that knows exactly when to play the sound. Once it detects REM sleep (our most active dreaming state), the headband plays the piano chord via bone conduction every 10 seconds.
Each patient’s experience is carefully customized.
For one, the sound volume was individually calibrated to match their sleep arousal threshold. The system also automatically stops the sound if patients change sleep stages, move, or show signs of waking.
Study Outcomes and Long-Term Effects
The results proved remarkably effective across the 36 participants (27 women, 9 men, aged 20-35).
In contrast, the control group, who received standard imagery rehearsal therapy without the piano chord, showed more modest gains.
Their weekly nightmares decreased from 2.58 to 1.02. But, this improvement began slipping away (rising to 1.48 nightmares per week) by the three-month check-in.
But the therapy did more than just reduce bad dreams. It actually transformed the emotional landscape of participants’ sleep.
Computerized analysis of 531 dream reports confirmed higher positive emotions in the sound therapy group’s dreams.
Intriguingly, as fear decreased in their dreams, joy increased proportionally, which was not seen in the control group.
It’s also not just working on the same nightmares they reimagined during the sessions. The analysis showed very low similarity between therapy scripts and actual reported dreams. Meaning, the treatment wasn’t simply masking recurring nightmares but fundamentally changing how patients dreamed.
“We observed a fast decrease of nightmares, together with dreams becoming emotionally more positive.” Perogamvros noted.
“For us, researchers and clinicians, these findings is very promising both for the study of emotional processing during sleep and for the development of new therapies.”
Potential Applications Beyond Nightmares
The success of this sound-based therapy opens doors far beyond treating bad dreams.
Since it can change how the brain processes emotions during sleep, researchers believe this can help treat a range of psychological conditions as well. This includes anxiety disorders, PTSD, mood disorders, insomnia, and other disorders involving deficient emotion regulation.
What makes this approach particularly powerful is how it works with the brain’s natural processes.
During REM sleep, our brains are already busy processing emotional memories. The targeted memory reactivation technique enhances this natural process in three ways:
- It helps consolidate emotional memories.
- It promotes memory generalization.
- It can transform negative emotions into positive ones.
However, there are some limitations.
For one, their study focused specifically on idiopathic nightmares, which are those that occur without a clear cause. So, it may not work as well for nightmares resulting from trauma.
Also, will need specialized EEG headband equipment to detect REM sleep and deliver sounds at precisely the right moment. So, even though they can use the treatment at home, it might not be feasible for everyone to do so.