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Compassion Meditation for Chronic Pain

Phase 2
Recruiting
Led By Anne L Malaktaris
Research Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Pain most days (> 3 days/week) for at least 6 months
pain most days (> 3 days/week) for at least 6 months
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up change from baseline to 3-month follow-up
Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This trial will evaluate a novel intervention, compassion meditation, to address the challenges of chronic pain and psychological comorbidity among veterans.

Who is the study for?
This trial is for Veterans aged 18 or older with chronic pain most days and a probable diagnosis of depression or PTSD. They must be able to consent and not currently enrolled in other treatments targeting their conditions or mind-body interventions. Excluded are those with recent serious suicidality, untreated substance issues, unstable mental disorders, or cognitive impairments.Check my eligibility
What is being tested?
The study compares Compassion Meditation (CM), which focuses on alleviating suffering, against Health Education for managing chronic pain and psychological comorbidities like PTSD and depression among Veterans. The efficacy of CM will be measured against the control group receiving standard health education.See study design
What are the potential side effects?
While traditional side effects associated with medications may not apply here, participants might experience emotional discomfort during meditation practices or when discussing painful experiences during health education sessions.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
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I have experienced pain on most days for at least 6 months.
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I have experienced pain on most days for at least 6 months.
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I am 18 years old or older.
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I am 18 years old or older.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~change from baseline to 3-month follow-up
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and change from baseline to 3-month follow-up for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary outcome measures
Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) Pain Interference subscale
Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI)
Secondary outcome measures
Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)
Veterans SF-36

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: compassion meditationExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
10 week, group-based manualized compassion meditation training
Group II: health educationActive Control1 Intervention
10 week, group-based manualized health education protocol

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

VA Office of Research and DevelopmentLead Sponsor
1,611 Previous Clinical Trials
3,305,158 Total Patients Enrolled
39 Trials studying Chronic Pain
4,631 Patients Enrolled for Chronic Pain
Anne L MalaktarisPrincipal InvestigatorVA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA

Media Library

Compassion Meditation Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT04651296 — Phase 2
Chronic Pain Research Study Groups: compassion meditation, health education
Chronic Pain Clinical Trial 2023: Compassion Meditation Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT04651296 — Phase 2
Compassion Meditation 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT04651296 — Phase 2

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

Are new participants accepted for this investigation?

"Affirmative. Clinicaltrials.gov has records that this medical experiment, which began recruiting participants on the 4th of January 2022, is still seeking volunteers. 126 individuals need to be enrolled from a single location."

Answered by AI

How many participants are actively engaged in this experiment?

"Affirmative. Clinicaltrials.gov reveals this medical trial is actively attempting to recruit participants and was initially posted on April 1st 2022, with the most recent update being June 1st of the same year. 126 patients are required from a single site for the experiment's execution."

Answered by AI

To what extent does compassion meditation present a risk to participants?

"Our team at Power gave compassion meditation a score of 2 due to the Phase 2 trial that has started, suggesting there is some evidence for safety but none yet confirming its efficacy."

Answered by AI

Who else is applying?

What state do they live in?
California
How old are they?
18 - 65
What site did they apply to?
VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
What portion of applicants met pre-screening criteria?
Met criteria

Why did patients apply to this trial?

I've tried other drugs and have not found the right one.
PatientReceived no prior treatments
Recent research and studies
clinicaltrials.govStudy
Compassion Meditation vs. Health Education for Veterans
2022. "Compassion Meditation vs. Health Education for Veterans". ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04651296.
All > Ptsd Anaheim > Chronic Pain
~47 spots leftby Aug 2025
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