Placebo power: can a saline spray beat jump nerves?
NCT ID NCT07522437
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study will test whether an open-label placebo nasal spray (a spray with no active ingredients, clearly labeled as a placebo) can reduce stress in 260 adults about to do a canyon swing. Participants will either use the spray or receive no treatment. Researchers will measure stress levels, how long they hesitate before jumping, and whether they choose to jump again. The goal is to see if the placebo effect works even when people know it's a placebo.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- open-label placebo nasal spray (saline solution)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that even knowing you're taking a placebo can help reduce stress in nerve-wracking situations.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study in a very specific setting (a canyon swing). The placebo effect is unpredictable, and results may not apply to other types of stress or to everyday life.
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
-
About 260 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Apr 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Nov 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Signed-up to complete the canyon swing * Aged 18 years and over * Able to speak and understand English * Comfortable being randomised to either the open-label placebo or no-treatment control condition Exclusion Criteria: * Under 18 years of age * Unable to speak or understand English * Unable to provide informed consent
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Acute stress are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Canyon Swing
Queenstown, Otago, 9300, New Zealand
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can free groceries and classes rewire daily health habits?
- Can a rewired EMDR therapy ease the mental toll of migration?
- Can beef power firefighter recovery?
- Can a single audio hypnosis session calm exam nerves and boost test scores?
- Can pork protein speed recovery after firefighting?
- Medical Students' stress hormones measured during real patient encounters