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Five sessions to quiet trauma nightmares in bipolar disorder

NCT ID NCT02242110

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Tulsa Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026

Summary

Researchers at the University of Tulsa are testing a five-session psychological treatment called Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapy for adults who have bipolar disorder and chronic trauma nightmares. The therapy asks participants to revisit and rewrite their nightmares while learning relaxation skills. The trial enrolls 24 adults who have at least weekly nightmares, a bipolar diagnosis, and a history of trauma, and it measures changes in nightmare frequency and PTSD symptoms after treatment and three months later.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapy for Bipolar disorder, a five-session psychological treatment
What this could lead to
If it works, this could give clinicians a short, targeted way to treat chronic trauma nightmares in people with bipolar disorder, a group often left out of nightmare research.
What could go wrong
The trial is small, with 24 participants, and tests a psychological therapy rather than a drug, so results may not hold in larger or more diverse groups. Nightmare-focused therapy can also stir up distressing memories, which is why the study screens out people with recent mania, suicide attempts, or untreated substance use.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

24 people

The number who actually took part.

Start date

Jun 2014

Finished

Aug 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Nightmares at least once per week for the past month * Formal diagnosis of Bipolar disorder (I or II) * Exposure to traumatic event (1+ months ago) * Stable on bipolar medication for at least 2 months Exclusion Criteria: * A traumatic event within the last month * Intellectual disability * Current or recent mania/hypomania within the last 3 months * Suicide attempt or hospitalization within the last 3 months * Current or untreated substance use disorder within the past 6 months

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

bipolar disorder post-traumatic stress disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Nightmares Post-traumatic stress disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Tulsa

    Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74104, United States

More trials for these conditions

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