Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Adults with Persistent Pain After Orthopedic Trauma A Pilot Study to Assess Feasibility of Treatment and Assessment

What this Trial Is About

Orthopedic trauma often causes severe injuries like fractures or amputations, affecting about 3 million people yearly in the U.S. Many survivors experience ongoing pain and psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms months after injury, leading to lasting disability. This research is evaluating the feasibility of Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy EAET to address persistent pain and emotional challenges in this group through a single-arm pilot study. EAET is a psychological treatment involving eight weekly sessions, each about 60 minutes long, led by a mental health provider. It focuses on increasing awareness and expression of difficult emotions linked to past trauma, using education about pain, emotional associations, and exposure exercises in a safe setting. Participants will complete assessments before treatment, after treatment, and at follow-up, including questionnaires on physical and emotional health and sensory testing to study pain processing. Participants will attend weekly therapy sessions and complete questionnaires taking 20-25 minutes and sensory testing lasting about 20 minutes at each assessment timepoint. Researchers will track treatment attendance, patient satisfaction, therapist adherence, and study assessments over the course of the 8-week intervention and up to 12 months afterward. The total participation period includes baseline, post-treatment, and longer-term follow-ups to assess feasibility and acceptability of EAET for orthopedic trauma survivors with persistent pain.

Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for People With Persistent Pain Following Orthopedic Trauma