The Science - reDreamAI

The Problem: Nightmares Are More Than Bad Dreams

5%

Around 5% of the general population suffers from nightmares. These are not just unpleasant dreams; they are intense, recurring experiences that can cause significant distress and impair daily functioning, affecting everything from mood to concentration.

The Solution: Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT)

Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) is a simple, evidence-based cognitive-behavioral technique. It empowers individuals to take control of their nightmares by re-scripting them into neutral or positive narratives. This process, when rehearsed, helps the brain learn a new way of dreaming.

1

Internet-Based IRT Works

University of Düsseldorf, 2016

From Research to Application: How Düsseldorf Science Inspired reDreamAI

The foundation for the development of reDreamAI lies in a pioneering research paper published back in 2016 by researchers at the University of Düsseldorf. It demonstrated that the effective Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) for treating nightmares is not necessarily tied to in-person therapy, but also achieves great impact in an internet-based setting.

The research team (Annika Gieselmann, Max Böckermann, Marjolijn Sorbi, and Reinhard Pietrowsky) investigated the efficacy of an internet-based self-help tool for IRT in a randomized controlled trial involving 127 patients. They divided the participants into 4 groups:

Guided IRT

Participants completed the online program and additionally received personal email support.

Unguided IRT

Participants completed the identical online program, but without personal support.

Narrative Control Group

Participants wrote down their nightmares in detail, but without rewriting them.

Frequency Control Group

Participants merely documented their weekly nightmare frequency.

The Central Finding

The IRT proved to be highly effective in the online format. The study showed that the targeted rewriting of the nightmare (Rescripting) was the crucial factor for a lasting reduction in Nightmare Distress. The most important finding for digital application: There was no significant difference in the efficacy of the IRT, regardless of whether participants only completed the online exercises or received additional, personal support from a coach. The therapy thus functions as a self-help solution.

We wanted to build upon these results. This scientific validation was the decisive study for the development of reDreamAI. The study's lead author, Annika Gieselmann, is currently accompanying the entire development phase of reDreamAI. She is advising our team on psychological matters.

Read the Full Study

2

Minimal Support, Maximum Impact

University of Osnabrück, 2021

Short, Effective, Accessible: An Osnabrück Study on Single-Session Nightmare Therapy

Building upon the findings of the Düsseldorf research, Katharina Lüth, a co-founder of reDreamAI, along with her colleagues (Judith Schmitt and Michael Schredl), conducted a clinical study in 2021, which demonstrated how little human support is needed to effectively treat nightmares. The focus of the investigation was on the low-threshold availability of the therapy.

28

Participants

30

Minutes

8

Weeks Follow-up

In this investigation, the efficacy of Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) was tested in a short version as part of a single telephone counseling session. The study involved 28 participants. The intervention was deliberately designed as a single 30-minute telephone session, in which participants received psychoeducation on nightmares and a short form of IRT. This single session was followed by an 8-week period of self-practice without further professional support.

The Results

The results of the brief intervention were remarkable: Comparing baseline to 8 weeks later, both nightmare frequency and nightmare distress were significantly reduced. The conclusion drawn from the results is that such a brief intervention is sufficient to achieve significant relief. This underlines the idea that IRT is a simple, self-directed technique that can be successfully applied after minimal instruction.

This research confirms our core philosophy: A psychologically sound intervention, whose efficacy was already proven with minimal, analog guidance, can now be offered as a fully digital and easily accessible solution.