Stress Management Program

Stanford University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Anxiety; Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: Hypnosis; Behavioral: Box Breathing; Behavioral: Cyclic Sighing Breathing; Behavioral: Audiobook

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06526585

72131

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will test the immediate and long term (post 4 weeks of daily practice) effectiveness of two breathwork practices, cyclic sighing and box breathing, in comparison to hypnosis and an audiobook about stress, on psychological and physiological variables.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 or older
• No contraindications to MRI imaging (like ferromagnetic metal in their body)

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant or planning to get pregnant during study participation.
• Not able or willing to come to research location twice for MRI assessments

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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80 participants in 4 patient groups

Cyclic Sighing Breathing

Experimental group

Description:

Ten minutes a day of active breathwork practice for 28 days delivered remotely through a video link. Participants will also practice 10 minutes of active breathwork during the 2 MRI assessments, one before the start of the 28 days, and one after the completion of the 28 days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cyclic Sighing Breathing

Box Breathing

Experimental group

Description:

Ten minutes a day of active breathwork practice for 28 days delivered remotely through a video link. Participants will also practice 10 minutes of active breathwork during the 2 MRI assessments, one before the start of the 28 days, and one after the completion of the 28 days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Box Breathing

Hypnosis

Experimental group

Description:

Ten minutes a day of hypnosis practice for 28 days delivered remotely through an audio link. Participants will also practice 10 minutes of hypnosis during the 2 MRI assessments, one before the start of the 28 days, and one after the completion of the 28 days

Treatment:

Behavioral: Hypnosis

Audiobook on Stress

Active Comparator group

Description:

Ten minutes a day of listening to sections of an audiobook about stress for 28 days (passive listening) delivered remotely through an audio link. Participants will also listen to the 10 minute segments during the 2 MRI assessments, one before the start of the 28 days, and one after the completion of the 28 days.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Audiobook