[Cognitive therapy of psychogenic sleep disorders: an explanatory and treatment approach].

First the paper presents an explanation for psychogenous sleep disturbances, basing on coincidence of psychophysiological and biorhythmical sleep patterns with special cognitive and emotional variables. Related thereto a concept for prevention and psychotherapy of these sleep disturbances is elaborated. Both concepts content five structuring elements, standing in a circular feed back relationship: 1. subjective misconceptions about the nature of sleep, 2. dysfunctional norms and goals for the own sleep, 3. cognitive misevaluations of the experienced sleep events, 4. development of a dysfunctional self concept, 5. development of dysfunctional patterns and goals of behavior for coping sleep problems. The elements display the structure for development and diagnosis of these sleep disturbances and for the preventive and psychotherapeutic work. Finally, related to this concept, therapeutic strategies were presented, basing on cognitive and behavior therapy.