Dr. Davis is one of the country’s leading experts in researching and treating nightmares and is a licensed psychologist in Oklahoma. She is the creator of Exposure, Relaxation and Rescripting Therapy, or ERRT. ERRT is a cognitive behavioral treatment for trauma-related nightmares and sleep disturbances. The treatment is conducted for 1.5 hours once per week for 4 to 5 consecutive weeks. The protocol can be administered in either individual or group formats. Components of treatment include psychoeducation about trauma, PTSD, and nightmares, relaxation training, modification of sleep habits, written and verbal exposure to the nightmare, rescription of the nightmare based on trauma-related themes (i.e., power, trust, intimacy, esteem, safety), and rehearsal of the rescripted dream each night prior to going to sleep.
ERRT is backed by over a decade’s worth of empirical research. Currently, it is marked for roll out by the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Army Medical Education Department in Summer of 2015.
At present, we have several research studies involving ERRT or adaptations of the ERRT protocol. One of our studies began in fall of 2014, and is funded by a three-year research grant through the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) examining the efficacy of providing both ERRT and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to adults with trauma-related nightmare and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Below we include additional information about this research study, as well as several other studies we have going on right now at the University of Tulsa, including links to websites and resources!
Additional Information
For more information on the nightmare treatment, including publications and presentations, please visit our website by clicking here.
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