Mechanisms of Mindfulness Meditation and Self-Hypnosis for Pain in Older Adults With Chronic Pain
University of Washington
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 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
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 bet…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 60+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. be ≥60 years of age; 2. have self-reported chronic pain (≥3-months, with pain experienced on ≥ 50% of days); 3. endorse an average intensity of pain ≥3 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS) for most days of the previous 3-months; 4. be able to read, speak, and understand English; 5. be naïve to meditation and hypnosis: * never received formal training in or attended a mindfulness meditation or therapeutic hypnosis course; * have not practiced meditation (e.g., mindfulness meditation, Zen, Buddhism, or meditation applications such as certain types of CALM meditat…
Interventions
- BehavioralMindfulness 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 a recorded Mindfulness Meditation script.
- BehavioralTherapeutic 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 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).
- BehavioralStory Listening
Participants will lie flat on their back and will listen to a recorded story from a natural history book.
Location
- University of WashingtonSeattle, Washington