Actively Recruiting
Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation and Self-Hypnosis for Pain in Older Adults With Chronic Pain
Led by University of Washington · Updated on 2026-05-07
375
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
185 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
U
University of Washington
Lead Sponsor
T
The University of Queensland
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
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
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation and Self-Hypnosis for Pain in Older Adults With Chronic Pain
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Be 60 years of age or older
- Have self-reported chronic pain lasting 3 months or longer, with pain on at least 50% of days
- Report average pain intensity of 3 or higher on a 0-10 scale on most days in the past 3 months
- Be able to read, speak, and understand English
- Be new to meditation and hypnosis (no formal training or recent practice in the past 6 months; less than 20 minutes per week practice)
- Have stable analgesic or psychotropic medication for at least 4 weeks before the study, with no planned changes
- Have access to a private place with good internet for intervention sessions
- Not currently enrolled in another clinical trial or interventional study for chronic pain and willing to avoid participation in other such studies during this study
- Be willing and able to attend in-person EEG and two MRI/fMRI scans
- Be able to use an electronic device independently or have someone to help with setup
You will not qualify if you...
- Have medical conditions that could affect EEG results, such as epilepsy or traumatic brain injury
- Have skull defects, implants, or metals that interfere with EEG or MRI
- Have pacemakers, cochlear implants, or other metals disallowed for MRI
- Experience claustrophobia or other reasons preventing MRI
- Have uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Have primary chronic headache pain
- Have cancer-related chronic pain or pain requiring surgery
- Have alcohol or substance abuse affecting EEG
- Have severe cognitive impairment or signs of cognitive problems
- Are currently receiving other psychosocial pain treatments
- Have participated in experimental pain studies before
- Have low sensitivity to experimental heat pain
- Have unstable medical or psychiatric conditions interfering with participation
- Have active suicidal thoughts or intent indicating significant risk
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, United States, 98104
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
R
Rana Salem, MA
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
3
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