← Back to Search

MBCT for Multiple Sclerosis

N/A
Waitlist Available
Led By Dawn Ehde, PhD
Research Sponsored by University of Washington
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
reads and speaks English;
has access and is able to communicate over the telephone;
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up baseline (week 0), 10 weeks (posttreatment), and 36 weeks (6-month follow up)
Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This study is evaluating whether two non-pharmacological treatments can help decrease pain and other outcomes (e.g., sleep, fatigue) in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Eligible Conditions
  • Multiple Sclerosis

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~baseline (week 0), 10 weeks (posttreatment), and 36 weeks (6-month follow up)
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and baseline (week 0), 10 weeks (posttreatment), and 36 weeks (6-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
Change in average pain intensity
Secondary outcome measures
Average pain intensity - maintenance
Depressive symptom severity
Fatigue severity
+6 more

Trial Design

3Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)Experimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants will attend eight, 2-hour group treatment MBCT sessions delivered using free video-conferencing technology. Groups will consist of 6-8 people who also have MS and chronic pain. Participants will be asked to practice skills learned in session between sessions. MBCT integrates mindfulness meditation practices within a CBT-oriented framework to address not only unhelpful pain cognitions and behaviors but also attentional control, decoupling of attention from emotion, mindful cognitions, and meditative behavior.
Group II: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Experimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants will attend eight, 2-hour group treatment CBT sessions delivered using free video-conferencing technology. Groups will consist of 6-8 people who also have MS and chronic pain. Participants will be asked to practice skills learned in session between sessions. CBT focuses on increasing adaptive pain coping strategies and reducing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors related to pain. Strategies include relaxation techniques, goal-setting, activity pacing, and changing unhelpful thinking patterns.
Group III: Usual CareActive Control1 Intervention
No intervention, participant will continue their usual care for pain and MS. We will collect information about what treatments are used by the usual care participants. They will be offered the opportunity to participate in one of the two active study treatments (MBCT or CBT) after completion of the 6-month followup.
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
CBT
2013
Completed Phase 3
~4220
MBCT
2015
Completed Phase 1
~160

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyOTHER
95 Previous Clinical Trials
9,210 Total Patients Enrolled
93 Trials studying Multiple Sclerosis
8,856 Patients Enrolled for Multiple Sclerosis
University of WashingtonLead Sponsor
1,724 Previous Clinical Trials
1,821,114 Total Patients Enrolled
23 Trials studying Multiple Sclerosis
3,323 Patients Enrolled for Multiple Sclerosis
Dawn Ehde, PhDPrincipal Investigator - University of Washington
University of Washington
3 Previous Clinical Trials
280 Total Patients Enrolled
3 Trials studying Multiple Sclerosis
280 Patients Enrolled for Multiple Sclerosis

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.
Recent research and studies
~43 spots leftby Mar 2025