Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder

University of Michigan

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Opioid Use Disorder; Chronic Pain

Treatments: Behavioral: Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06865560

HUM00266504

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study is intended to test whether a group-based Zoom behavioral treatment can help adults with chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD) learn effective strategies for reducing pain, disability and other problems that can come with these conditions (such as depression, anxiety, and difficulty managing emotions).

Full description

Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) is a behavioral therapy that focuses on reducing chronic pain by helping people work on the effects of stress, trauma, and emotions that they have experienced in their lives. It is delivered in group sessions of 5-7 individuals by trained therapists who treat emotions or problems in relationships to reduce chronic pain. Pain decreases through increased recognition and expression of emotions, and learning to feel safe in the presence of emotions.

The primary aim of the study is to demonstrate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the proposed EAET intervention in adults with chronic pain and opioid use disorder.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Be able to read, write and speak English
• Have Internet access and audio-visual conferencing capability (e.g., Zoom meetings by phone or computer) in the home
• Widespread pain and has opioid use disorder (OUD)

Exclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of autoimmune disease, spinal cord injury, cancer.
• Currently receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy, EAET, or other psychological therapies for pain
• Open litigation regarding chronic pain in the past 1 year, as assessed in preliminary study screening.
• Inability to provide informed consent and complete study procedures (e.g., indications of suspected major cognitive impairment via observations of study staff during consenting) that would preclude comprehension or participation in study protocols.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Any other diseases or conditions that would make a patient unsuitable for study participation as determined by the site principal investigators.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET)

Experimental group

Description:

Adults with chronic pain and mild to moderate opioid use disorder (OUD).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET)