Pain Disengagement Training (Open Pilot)

Part of paid clinical trials in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital
Study ID
NCT06870162
Status
Recruiting
Apply to this trial

Conditions

  • Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Pain Disengagement Training — BEHAVIORAL
    The intervention involves approximately 8 sessions. The first session will involve a psychoeducation component describing the association between negative emotions and pain and the rationale for the intervention strategies. The intervention sessions will consist of approximately 30 minutes of writing alternating between imaginal exposure writing and positive writing periods alternating back and forth (e.g., 3-5 minutes of imaginal exposure writing followed by 3-5 minutes of positive writing before returning to imaginal exposure writing, etc.). Exposure writing will involve writing about a pain-related catastrophic worry repeatedly until it becomes less anxiety-provoking. The positive writing topics will change with each prompt and will be structured by session theme (e.g., values/goals, meaningful activities). They will also complete between session practice by setting aside a time for worrying and then completing a meaningful activity.

Study Details

The investigators aim to conduct an open pilot trial to determine the initial feasibility of a self-directed writing-based intervention in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain and elevated pain catastrophizing. The investigators will assess the feasibility of recruitment, acceptability of the treatment, credibility and participant satisfaction, treatment adherence, and feasibility of assessments following pre-specified benchmarks.

Key Dates

Start date
Oct 14, 2025
Status verified
Apr 2026
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2026
Completion
Jun 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
10 participants (estimated)
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Pain Disengagement Training
    The intervention involves approximately 8 sessions. The first session will involve a psychoeducation component describing the association between negative emotions and pain and the rationale for the intervention strategies. The intervention sessions will consist of approximately 30 minutes of writing alternating between imaginal exposure writing and positive writing periods alternating back and forth (e.g., 3-5 minutes of imaginal exposure writing followed by 3-5 minutes of positive writing before returning to imaginal exposure writing, etc.). Exposure writing will involve writing about a pain-related catastrophic worry repeatedly until it becomes less anxiety-provoking. The positive writing topics will change with each prompt and will be structured by session theme (e.g., values/goals, meaningful activities). They will also complete between session practice by setting aside a time for worrying and then completing a meaningful activity.

Primary Outcome Measure

Feasibility of recruitment [ Time Frame: Baseline, post-test (6 weeks) ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Massachusetts General HospitalBostonMassachusetts02114
Katherine McDermott, PhD
[email protected]
(617) 643-4208
Katherine McDermott, PhD (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

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By research site
Massachusetts General Hospital· Boston, MA

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