Chronic pain is a significant problem for many Veterans, including new Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also associated with a number of other significant problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep problems. All of these can have significant negative effects of the quality of life of Veterans. Th current project seeks to help develop and evaluate two promising treatments that Veterans may find useful for helping them better manage chronic pain and its negative effects. Specifically, it s a randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of teaching skills in self-hypnosis and mindfulness meditation for reducing pain and improving the quality of life in Veterans. The project will also test hypotheses regarding how these treatment work by examining the meditating biological (e.g., brain activity measures), psychological (e.g., outcome expectancies), and social (e.g., therapeutic alliance) factors that could explain their effects. Potential moderators of treatment outcome (e.g., hypnotizability, baseline brain states) will also be examined. By better understanding the treatment effects of these interventions, as well as their mechanisms, and if the treatments are demonstrated to be effective as we anticipate they will be based on pilot and preliminary studies, Veterans will have more options for better managing chronic pain, and therefore maximizing the overall quality of their lives.

Public Health Relevance

By increasing our understanding of the efficacy of two treatments that teach two specific pain management skills in samples of Veterans, the proposed project will benefit public health by providing an empirical basis for referring individuals with chronic pain to the most effective treatments. By increasing our understanding of the mechanisms by which these interventions have their beneficial effects, we will be better able to maximize the efficacy of pain treatments, by focusing on those mechanisms most responsible for treatment benefits. Moreover, such mechanism-based research can help translate research to practice by identifying treatment components that are most essential when adapting pain treatments for specific clinical settings.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AT008336-04
Application #
9292258
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAT1)
Program Officer
Clark, David
Project Start
2014-09-01
Project End
2019-06-30
Budget Start
2017-07-01
Budget End
2018-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Physical Medicine & Rehab
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
605799469
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195
Jensen, Mark P; Thorn, Beverly E; Carmody, James et al. (2018) The Role of Cognitive Content and Cognitive Processes in Chronic Pain: An Important Distinction? Clin J Pain 34:391-401
Grover, Michelle P; Jensen, Mark P; Patterson, David R et al. (2018) The Association Between Mindfulness and Hypnotizability: Clinical and Theoretical Implications. Am J Clin Hypn 61:4-17
Jensen, Mark P; Jamieson, Graham A; Lutz, Antoine et al. (2017) New directions in hypnosis research: strategies for advancing the cognitive and clinical neuroscience of hypnosis. Neurosci Conscious 3:
Jensen, Mark P (2016) Brain Oscillations and Diurnal Variations in Hypnotic Responsiveness--A Commentary on ""Diurnal Variations in Hypnotic Responsiveness: Is There an Optimal Time to be Hypnotized?"". Int J Clin Exp Hypn 64:137-45
Jensen, Mark P; Adachi, Tomonori; Hakimian, Shahin (2015) Brain Oscillations, Hypnosis, and Hypnotizability. Am J Clin Hypn 57:230-53
Jensen, Mark P; Adachi, Tomonori; Hakimian, Shahin (2015) Brain Oscillations, Hypnosis, and Hypnotizability. Am J Clin Hypn 57:230-253