#3 – Spencer Dawson, PhD, DBSM – Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia

Honest Sleep with Brian Curtis, PhD, DBSM

In this episode, Brian Curtis, Ph.D. speaks with Spencer Dawson, Ph.D., DBSM. Spencer is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, a board-certified specialist in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, and an Assistant Clinical Professor and Associate Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University.

Brian and Spencer chat about what the field of Behavioral Sleep Medicine is all about, Spencer’s journey to becoming a specialist in the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders, behavioral perspectives on how to use sleep medications effectively and how to gradually stop taking them if that's a treatment goal, the principles and clinical practice of the gold standard treatment for chronic insomnia in adults: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and what it’s like to engage in that treatment, interventions for the clinical condition of paradoxical insomnia (also known as “sleep discrepancy” or “sleep state misperception”), how Daylight Saving Time impacts public health and public safety, and other topics.

Resources discussed:

The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine: https://www.behavioralsleep.org/

Book: Quiet Your Mind and Get to Sleep by Dr.’s Rachel Manber and Coleen Carney.

Book: The One Week Insomnia Cure by Dr. Jason Ellis.

Free CBT-I Training: https://cbtiweb.org/

You can learn more about Spencer and his work by visiting the following:

The Sleep Health Center: https://www.sleephealthlou.com/

The Indiana University Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training Clinic

Spencer’s Twitter: @SleepScientist.

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Twitter: @HonestSleepLLC