ERRT is a cognitive behavioral treatment for trauma-related nightmares. The treatment consists of 4-5 sessions and runs for 60-120 minutes depending on whether an individual or group therapy format is utilized.  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.

Currently, we have developed and are in the process of evaluating four different protocols including standard ERRT, ERRT-M for active military and Veterans, B-ERRT for individuals with bipolar disorder, and ERRT-C for children ages 5-17. Greater detail about the treatment and its components can be found in the book or other published works.

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About Dr. Davis

Joanne L. Davis received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Arkansas, completed an internship at the Medical University of South Carolina and a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center in Charleston, South Carolina. She is currently an associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she oversees the Trauma Research: Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment Center and co-directs the University of Tulsa Institute of Trauma, Adversity, and Injustice (TITAN). As a scientist-practitioner, she focuses on identifying cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of traumatic experiences and applying evidence-based treatments to difficulties faced by survivors of trauma. She wrote a book on a treatment she developed for trauma-related nightmares, Treating Post Trauma Nightmares: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach. She is continuing her research in the area of nightmares and sleep problems in trauma-exposed persons.

Education and Degrees Earned

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, University of Arkansas, 1999
M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of Arkansas, 1996
B.A., Psychology, State University of New York at Albany, 1992

To download Dr. Davis’ curriculum vitae click here.

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Joanne L. Davis, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology / Director of Clinical Training