U.S. Navy Bremerton Hospital
Challenge
Help thousands of veterans cope with nightmares and sleep deprivation, common side effects of PTSD.
- Human-centered design
Solution
Establish and launch Power Dreaming, a virtual reality treatment to help veterans gain more control over nightmares and insomnia.
Results
With repetition, veterans break the cycle of bad dreams from the comfort of home. This versatile and portable solution may soon extend to other treatments such as chronic pain.
30% of warriors returning from active duty over the past 10 years suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) and 65% also experience nightmares. The resulting anxiety makes sleep control a crucial component to treating PTSD. The U.S. Navy Bremerton Hospital and ICF developed Power Dreaming, a combination of virtual reality technology and established behavioral health therapies. Patients use the software to enter a customized and calm reality following a nightmare. Virtual reality empowers patients to create a safe state of mind following a disturbing dream, thus conditioning both mind and body to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and cope with stress.
While a good night's sleep alone won’t cure PTSD, sufferers learn how to control their nightmares with Power Dreaming. This leads to restful nights,more productive days and a clearer path to mental clarity. Read more about how Power Dreaming works at The Spark by ICF.
Power Dreaming was a 2015 finalist at the ACT-IAC Igniting Innovation event. Read more at Govloop.
