Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation and Self-Hypnosis for Pain in Older Adults With Chronic Pain

Part of paid clinical trials in Seattle, Washington.

Sponsor
University of Washington
Study ID
NCT06957743
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Chronic Pain

Eligibility Criteria

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

Interventions

  • Mindfulness Meditation — BEHAVIORAL
    The Mindfulness Meditation trainings will teach participants Shamatha Vipassana, which is the specific form of Mindfulness Meditation typically implemented in mindfulness research. The emphasis is placed upon developing focused attention on an object of awareness, such as the breath. This focus is then expanded to include a more open, non-judgmental monitoring of any sensory, emotional, or cognitive events. Participants will be invited to lie flat on their back (i.e., to mimic conditions in the MRI scanner) and will listen to a recorded Mindfulness Meditation script.
  • Therapeutic Hypnosis — BEHAVIORAL
    In the Therapeutic Hypnosis group, participants will relax with their eyes closed and, as with Mindfulness Meditation, will lie flat on their lack and will listen to a recorded hypnotic script. The Therapeutic Hypnosis practice will include an induction followed by suggestions for decreased pain and improvement in comorbid symptoms (e.g., mood).
  • Story Listening — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will lie flat on their back and will listen to a recorded story from a natural history book.

Study Details

The goal of this study is to better understand how two common psychological treatments for pain work in the brain of older adults living with chronic pain. This study will: 1. evaluate fMRI of adults receiving psychological treatments for chronic pain to determine how these interventions work within older adults, and 2. examine self-report and EEG variables to identify for whom do these psychological interventions work. Adults ages 60 years and older, living with chronic pain for at least 3 months will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1. Mindfulness-Meditation 2. Therapeutic Hypnosis 3. Story Listening

Key Dates

Start date
Mar 4, 2026
Status verified
Jun 2026
Primary completion
Mar 1, 2029
Completion
Aug 31, 2029

Study Design

Enrollment
375 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Mindfulness Meditation
    Participants will lie flat on their back with their eyes closed and will listen to a recorded Mindfulness Meditation script.
  • Experimental: Therapeutic Hypnosis
    Participants will lie flat on their back with their eyes closed and will listen to a recorded hypnotic script.
  • Experimental: Story Listening
    Participants will lie flat on their back with their eyes closed and will listen to a recorded story from a natural history book.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in average chronic pain intensity in past 24 hours [ Time Frame: Collected daily for 4 consecutive days at pre-baseline, during EEG procedure, baseline MRI/fMRI assessment, at each of the 4 treatment sessions, 1-week post-baseline MRI, and daily for 4 consecutive days starting day 11 post-baseline MRI/fMRI assessment ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of WashingtonSeattleWashington98104
Brianna Agnew
[email protected]
844-481-3451
Emily Cornejo
[email protected]
844-481-3451

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By research site
University of Washington· Seattle, WA

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