Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Chronic Pain
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial tests the effectiveness of Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) for Veterans with chronic pain and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD. EAET, a type of talk therapy, focuses on understanding and expressing emotions related to past trauma. The trial compares EAET to cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) to determine which is more effective in real-world VA clinics. Veterans with musculoskeletal pain, such as back pain or fibromyalgia, lasting over three months and experiencing moderate daily pain may be suitable candidates for this trial. Feedback from doctors, therapists, and Veterans will help identify what makes EAET effective or challenging to use. As an unphased trial, this study offers Veterans the chance to contribute to innovative research that could enhance therapy options for chronic pain and mental health.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your doctor.
What prior data suggests that Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) is safe for Veterans with chronic pain?
Research shows that Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) is safe and manageable for individuals. In past studies, participants who tried EAET reported less pain and improved mobility. They also experienced fewer mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety. These findings suggest that EAET can be a useful tool for managing pain and emotions.
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recognized EAET as a Best Practice for pain management, highlighting its effectiveness. Research conducted at a VA hospital in Los Angeles found that EAET was more effective than cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) in older Veterans.
Overall, EAET has helped people without causing serious side effects. It focuses on helping individuals understand and express their emotions, leading to better pain management and improved mental health.12345Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) for chronic pain because it targets emotional factors, which many standard treatments like medication or physical therapy often overlook. Unlike typical approaches that focus on managing symptoms physically, EAET helps individuals become more aware of their emotions and express them, aiming to resolve emotional conflicts that might contribute to pain. This therapy uses unique techniques such as writing about stress and role-playing difficult relationships, potentially offering a holistic way to improve both emotional and physical well-being.
What evidence suggests that Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) might be an effective treatment for chronic pain?
Research has shown that Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), which participants in this trial may receive, can effectively reduce chronic pain and improve mental health. Studies have found that EAET often leads to a significant drop in pain levels, with more people experiencing at least a 30% decrease in pain compared to those undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP), another treatment option in this trial. EAET also helps individuals move more easily and feel less depressed and anxious. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has recognized it as a Best Practice for managing pain. Most participants continue with EAET, indicating it is well-received and potentially effective.26789
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for Veterans with chronic pain who may also have mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. It's designed to see if Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) can help reduce their pain and improve mental health in a real-world healthcare setting.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Training and Implementation
Clinicians at up to 7 VA hospitals are trained in EAET and implement it with Veterans to assess feasibility and ease of use in real clinics.
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in pain interference, PTSD symptoms, physical functioning, and other outcomes.
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET)
Trial Overview
The study compares EAET—a talk therapy focusing on understanding and expressing emotions related to trauma—with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP). The goal is to determine the effectiveness of EAET when used by various healthcare professionals in everyday clinical practice.
How Is the Trial Designed?
2
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Seeks to reduce physical (e.g., pain) and emotional (e.g., depression, anxiety) symptoms by helping individuals become aware of their emotions, express them, and resolve emotional conflicts. It will use techniques such as writing about stress, role playing how to handle difficult relationships, recognizing and expressing anger and other feelings, and being more open with others.
Seeks to help individuals function better and improve symptoms by teaching various cognitive and behavioral skills to manage symptoms. It will use techniques such as relaxation training, engaging in pleasant activities, pacing yourself, and changing unhelpful ways of thinking.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of California, Los Angeles
Lead Sponsor
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Collaborator
University of Colorado, Denver
Collaborator
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (South Texas) ADRC
Collaborator
Yale University
Collaborator
Greater Los Angeles Veterans Research and Education Foundation
Collaborator
University of Utah
Collaborator
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Collaborator
Citations
Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy vs Cognitive ...
Both EAET and CBT were presented as effective for chronic pain and had written manuals with similar amounts of discussion, experiential ...
Phase 1 Pilot of a Pragmatic Trial of EAET for Veterans ...
EAET has helped people feel less pain, move better, and experience fewer mental health symptoms. Because of these strong results, the U.S. ...
Internet-based emotional awareness and expression ...
Primary outcomes were reductions of somatic symptoms (PHQ-15) and pain intensity (BPI-4) at post-treatment, with a 4-month evaluation of effect duration. We ...
Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Chronic Pain
Retention in EAET was high (77.2% of patients attended at least 75% of sessions), and somewhat better than in CBT (64% of patients), and over 90 ...
5.
hematologyadvisor.com
hematologyadvisor.com/news/emotional-awareness-and-expression-therapy-beneficial-for-pain-relief/Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy Beneficial ...
At posttreatment, a clinically significant (at least 30 percent) pain reduction occurred in more participants receiving EAET than CBT (63 versus ...
“Pain, Stress, and Emotions”: Uncontrolled trial of a single ...
A growing body of evidence from trauma- and emotion-focused interventions for chronic pain suggests the possibility of enhanced effects (6–8).
Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Older ...
Two preliminary trials showed large-to-very-large benefits, including one small randomized clinical trial that showed a significant, large effect size advantage ...
To feel is to heal—introduction to Emotional Awareness ...
Conclusion. EAET is particularly effective for treating chronic (primary) pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and musculoskeletal pain. However ...
study protocol for a single-arm feasibility clinical trial
EAET is a newly developed psychological intervention designed to treat chronic pain by helping patients process psychological trauma and conflict to reduce ...
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