NCT06957743

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

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 375 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Washington · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

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 relative to an attention control condition 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

Detailed description

Research has shown that psychological treatments can help people with chronic pain manage their pain and improve their quality of life. Two common psychological treatments for chronic pain include Mindfulness-Meditation and Therapeutic Hypnosis. While research has shown these treatments are helpful for people with chronic pain, the benefits people experience from these types of treatments can vary from person to person. There is little research showing who responds best to which treatments and what happens in the brain during these treatments to reduce pain. The purpose of this study is to better understand how these pain treatments work in the brain. By identifying how these pain treatments work to help reduce chronic pain, the study investigators aim to improve treatments for people with chronic pain in the future. Participants will complete seven study sessions (three in-person at the University of Washington Medical Center and four remote (e.g., at-home)). Sessions will vary from 45 minutes to 2 hours. They will also be asked to complete four online surveys before they start the study sessions and four online surveys after they complete the study sessions. * 3 in-person sessions: the study includes one session where participants will receive an electroencephalogram (EEG; to assess brain wave activity). It also includes two sessions where they will receive structural MRIs (to image their brain) and functional MRIs (to image their brain while they are at rest and while we test how they respond to heat stimulus). Participants will be asked questions about their quality of life and their pain. * 4 remote (at-home) sessions: participants will be randomized to learn Mindfulness Meditation skills, Therapeutic Hypnosis skills, or listen to staff read text from a book. Participants will spend about 8 hours in this study over a 4-week period.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Mindfulness Meditation	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 the clinician read a standardized Mindfulness Meditation script.
BEHAVIORAL	Therapeutic Hypnosis	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 the clinician read a standardized hypnotic script. The Therapeutic Hypnosis practice will include an induction followed by suggestions for decreased pain and improvement in comorbid symptoms (e.g., mood).
BEHAVIORAL	Story Listening	Participants will listen to four, 20-min. excerpts from a natural history book. Participants will lie flat on their back and will listen to the clinician read the standardized book excerpt.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-02-10
• Primary completion: 2029-08-31
• Completion: 2029-08-31
• First posted: 2025-05-04
• Last updated: 2026-02-13