Writing About Nightmares: Where Expressive Writing Meets Imagery Rehearsal
By Brian Nuckols, MA, LPC-A
LPC-A · Center for Discovery · Gottman Trained · EFT · DBT · Depth Psychology · Pittsburgh, PA
STUB — bridge to dream cluster. Target 2,000-2,500 words. Voice: Deaths of Nothing.
Outline
Open with patient: writes down the nightmare every morning, has 47 entries, the dream has not changed
Two traditions: depth-psych (dream as compensatory communication, Jung) and behavioral (IRT, dream as rehearsable content, Krakow)
IRT in detail: protocol, evidence base (Krakow 2001 RCT, AASM 2018), what it does well
ERRT (Davis): the addition of trauma-themed processing; the closest writing-based competitor
Where bare expressive writing about dreams fails: it surfaces material without metabolizing it; rumination feedback loop
The depth-psychological read: what writing the dream actually does (slows it down, makes it readable, brings it across the threshold of memory); what writing the rescription does (rehearses agency)
The integration: writing the dream, sitting with it, rewriting toward agency, returning the next morning to see what came
The app: the autobiography module’s dream-content workflow; integration with the recurring-nightmare cluster on the site
Internal links
Out to: same-nightmare-every-night, recurring-dreams-meaning, dreams-after-trauma, nightmares-after-a-breakup, dreamwork-in-therapy, imagery-rehearsal-therapy-irt-explained (queued spoke), why-the-same-nightmare-keeps-coming-back (pillar), pillar (/blog/expressive-writing-for-trauma).
CTA
The writing app’s dream-content workflow integrates IRT-style rescription with depth-psych processing: https://app.briannuckols.com/.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can writing help with recurring nightmares?
STUB — yes, with structure. Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (Krakow) involves writing out the nightmare and a rewritten alternative; ERRT (Davis) extends this with trauma-themed processing. Bare expressive writing about nightmare content without a rescription component has weaker evidence. AASM 2018 endorses IRT at the 'Recommended' tier for nightmare disorder.
What is dream journaling for trauma?
STUB — the practice of recording dreams (especially recurring nightmares) for clinical or self-reflective use. In trauma populations, dream journaling without clinical framing can intensify distress; with a clinician, dream content becomes material for processing. The depth-psychological tradition (Jung, Hillman) treats the dream as compensatory communication; the IRT tradition treats it as rehearsable content.
Should I write down my nightmares?
STUB — depends on context. If working with a trauma-trained clinician and dream content carries meaning the waking self has not metabolized, yes. If self-directed without screening for dissociative subtype or active PTSD, the dysregulation risk applies. Use the screening logic in spoke 7.
What is IRT versus ERRT?
STUB — IRT (Krakow): write the nightmare, rewrite with new ending where threat does not occur, rehearse the new version daily 10-20 minutes. 4-6 sessions, AASM 2018 'Recommended.' ERRT (Davis, U Tulsa): builds on IRT with exposure plus trauma-themed processing (power, trust, intimacy, esteem, safety); 3 RCTs, AASM 'May Be Used.' ERRT is the closest writing-based competitor to expressive-writing-for-nightmare protocols.
Is dream journaling safe?
STUB — generally yes for non-clinical populations using dreams for self-reflection. Risk increases when the dreams are processing untreated trauma, when the journaler has dissociative tendencies, or when the dream content is itself retraumatizing. The depth-psychological frame holds that dreams are bringing material because the waking self has capacity to receive it; that capacity needs to be assessed honestly.