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Can meditation rewire the anxious social brain?

NCT ID NCT03070587

Symptom relief Sponsor: Komazawa University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026

Summary

Researchers are testing a group program called Positive Affect Training (PAT) that combines mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation. The goal is to see if it can reduce symptoms of social anxiety disorder and increase positive feelings like compassion and gratitude. The trial involves 80 Japanese adults who feel anxious in social situations and meet diagnostic criteria for social anxiety. Participants will practice meditation in groups, and researchers will measure changes in social anxiety, self-compassion, and positive and negative emotions.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Positive Affect Training (PAT), a group program combining mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a cost-effective, noninvasive option to reduce social anxiety and boost positive emotions like compassion and gratitude.
What could go wrong
This is an early feasibility study with a small group, so results may not apply broadly. Meditation requires practice and may not help everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

80 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Dec 2016

Finished

Sep 2022

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

20 to 70 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 20 years or older. * Positive response to the recruitment question: "Have you been feeling anxious or distressed in social situations?" * Meets DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders (SCID-5). * Social Anxiety Disorder is the primary diagnosis. * Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) total score of 30 or higher. Exclusion Criteria: * Current risk of self-harm or suicide, assessed by clinical interview and the suicide item of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). * Current or past psychiatric disorders that may impose a safety risk, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, or other psychotic disorders, as assessed by the SCID-5. * Current psychiatric or psychological treatment for any psychological disorder at the time of assessment. * Initiation of psychiatric or psychological treatment during the study; such participants will be monitored and may be excluded from sensitivity analyses.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

social phobia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Compassion Social anxiety disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Kwansei Gakuin University

    Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, 662-8501, Japan

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