Nightmare Therapy: Recognizing and Addressing a Missing “Peace” Toward PTSD Recovery

Time: 10:30am-5:00pm

Location: Virtual

Instructor: Lori R. Daniels, Ph.D., LCSW 

CE credits: 6 CE's (pending)

Course Description:

Trauma survivors often report suffering from dreams that reference traumatic incidents; the re-occurrence of trauma memories during sleep has long-term, negative physical ramifications and emotional impact on interpersonal relationships and occupational functioning. This presentation discusses Nightmare therapy/Dreamwork techniques designed to reduce the frequency and intensity of trauma-based nightmares. Clients who experience dissociative episodes and traumatic stress symptoms can learn through a structured intervention about issues underlying their nightmares and be empowered to better understand their symptoms, resulting in increased resilience, less avoidance of sleep, and insight into next steps of their healing journey.  A major emphasis will be the description and case examples of two methods of working with traumatic nightmares: sand-play processing and a writing technique. Both techniques allow for a nightmare to be discussed in a counseling milieu that allows for titrated exposure to traumatic material and stimuli. A major goal of each nightmare therapy technique is to use a client’s nightmare “story” to facilitate the healing process, thereby minimizing the negative influence of nightmares on survivors. This workshop is designed for advanced clinical practitioners who wish to enhance their skills addressing specific traumatic memories that impact on their clients’ lives. 

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this training participants will be able to:

1. Articulate areas of assessing and the importance of dialoguing with traumatized clients about their nightmares, as well as ways of intervening to facilitate changes with recurrent nightmares. 
2. Identify and describe two (2) methods of intervening with traumatically based nightmares. 
3. Use a template to facilitate deconstructing a distressing dream with clients and process underlying issues stemming from clients’ recurrent trauma-based nightmares.

References:

Delage, J.-P., Côté, J., Journault, W.-G., Lemyre, A., & Bastien, C. H. (2024). The relationships between insomnia, nightmares, and dreams: A systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 75. https://doi-org.hpu.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101931

Freese, F., Wiese, M., Knaust, T., Schredl, M., Schulz, H., De Dassel, T., Gorzka, R.-J, Höllmer, H., & Wittmann, L. (2018). Comparison of dominant nightmare types in patients with different mental disorders, International Journal of Dream Research, 11(1), 1-5. 

Meador, C., Paquet, C. B., Cogan, C. M., & Davis, J. L. (2022). Implications of Cognitive-Oriented Language within Posttrauma Nightmare Narratives. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 36(4), 864–873. https://doi-org.hpu.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/acp.3976

Prguda, E., & Dwyer, M. (2024). Veteran treatment completers’ and facilitators’ perceptions of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and imagery rehearsal therapy for posttraumatic sleep disturbances. Dreaming, 34(1), 50–67. https://doi-org.hpu.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/drm0000253

So, C. J., Bolstad, C. J., & Miller, K. E. (2025). Status of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy and Other Interventions for Nightmare Treatment in PTSD. Current Psychiatry Reports, 27(11), 671–678. https://doi-org.hpu.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11920-025-01639-z

Woodward, E., Hackmann, A., Wild, J., Grey, N., Clark, D.M., & Ehlers, A. (2017). Effects of psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder on sleep disturbances: results from a randomized clinical trial, Behaviour Research and Therapy, 97,75-85. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.07.001