Enhancing Therapy Process With Movement Strategies

Boston University Charles River Campus

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Mood Disorders; Anxiety Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Worry Stone; Behavioral: Exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03140124

3889

Details and patient eligibility

About

Several studies have noted the benefits of exercise programs in improving both mood and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, single bouts of exercise have been shown to improve mood and anxiety. Business applications report ancillary benefits of exercise as well. For example, individuals spontaneously report better ability to approach stimuli and cope with emotional experiences if doing it while exercising.

The current study aims to investigate exercise during a therapy session as a potential intervention for enhancing therapeutic learning, particularly ability to better cope with emotional topics and experiencing intense emotions. In this study, patient participants will complete a therapy session while using an exercise machine and a separate therapy session while using a worry stone (control). Both patient participants and therapist participants will make ratings of a variety of items, including ability to discuss emotional topics and comfort in experiencing emotions.

Investigators hypothesize that patients will report better ability to discuss emotional topics and more comfort in experiencing emotions following the exercise condition as opposed to the worry stone condition. Investigators also hypothesize that therapist ratings will similarly indicate that patients were better able to discuss emotional topics and experience emotional content during exercise sessions.

Full description

The current study aims to investigate exercise during a therapy session as a potential intervention for enhancing therapeutic learning, particularly ability to better cope with emotional topics and experiencing intense emotions.

Enrollment: 1 patient

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Adults over the age of 18
2. Ability to read and provide informed consent
3. Current patient or therapist at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD)
4. Ability to complete exercise (e.g. no physical injuries)

Exclusion criteria

1. Participants considered high risk based on the ACSM risk stratification guidelines (derived from PAR-Q)
2. Participants with current knee, ankle, hip, or foot injuries that could impede exercise on the machine or participants with current hand or wrist injuries that could impede use of the worry stone

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1 participants in 2 patient groups

Group 1

Other group

Description:

First session: worry stone, second session: exercise peddler

Treatment:

Behavioral: Worry Stone

Behavioral: Exercise

Group 2

Other group

Description:

First session: exercise peddler, second session: worry stone

Treatment:

Behavioral: Worry Stone

Behavioral: Exercise