NCT06870162

Pain Disengagement Training (Open Pilot)

Pain Disengagement Training: A Self-directed Intervention for Pain Catastrophizing (Open Pilot)

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 10 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed description

Mind-body interventions are some of the most effective treatments for chronic pain, yet due to lack of resources, many are inaccessible to the patients who need them. The investigators seek to fill this gap by developing and testing Pain Disengagement Training (PDT) for the treatment of chronic pain catastrophizing, a key risk factor for pain interference. The investigators will administer the PDT treatment in a small number (approximately 10) of participants to evaluate initial benchmarks (the feasibility of recruitment, acceptability of the treatment, credibility and participant satisfaction, treatment adherence, and feasibility of assessments) and to assess participants' experience with the intervention using qualitative exit interviews. Results will inform the refinement of the intervention for a future larger trial.

Conditions

• Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	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.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-10-14
• Primary completion: 2026-02-01
• Completion: 2026-03-01
• First posted: 2025-03-11
• Last updated: 2025-10-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States