Can imagining ideal dream scenarios a few minutes a day lessen nightmares and lead to a better night’s sleep and more peace of mind? Yes they can, and we talk about how with today’s guest Dr. Michael Nadorff. High rates of nightmares correlate with high likelihood of both suicidal ideation and with suicidal attempts. Research has shown a causal effect in that reducing nightmares reduces both suicidal attempts and ideation. So if you suffer from nightmares, be assured that you don’t have to put up with them! There are ways you can shift this affliction, and we talk about many of them on the show today.

Dr. Nadorff describes the simple Image Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) technique of imagining the dream that you want to have, and practicing this image 5-10 minutes a few times each day. There is a FREE and confidential government sponsored app called “Dream EZ” which will guide you through the process of IRT.

BIO. Dr. Michael Nadorff is an associate professor of psychology at Mississippi State University where he also directs the clinical psychology PhD program. He is the director of the Sleep, Suicide and Aging Lab, and his research focuses on the association between sleep difficulties, particularly nightmares, and suicidal behavior. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts (ten more than when he was last our guest in August 2020) and received more than $5.6 million in external grant funding from NIMH, SAMHSA, and the CDC (up from $3.4 million from last summer). Dr. Nadorff is an expert in Imagery Rehearsal Therapy, a nightmare treatment that he believes has a lot of potential to not only improve nightmares, but also a myriad of other mental health disorders.

You can get in touch with our guest at suicidelab.org

We play clips from two guest selected songs:

Dan Hartman, I Can Dream about You

Selena : Dreaming of You

You can listen to our last conversation from August 15, 2020 here.

Live ambient music by Rick Kleffel.

Show aired on June 12, 2021.

The Dream Journal is produced at and airs on KSQD Santa Cruz, 90.7 FM, streaming live at KSQD.org 10-11am Saturday mornings Pacific time.  Catch it live and call in with your dreams or questions at 831-900-5773 or at [email protected].

If you want to contact Katherine Bell with feedback, suggestions for future shows or to inquire about exploring your own dreams with her, contact [email protected], or find out more about her at ExperientialDreamwork.com.

The complete KSQD Dream Journal podcast page is found here.

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