Smartphone app tests music and thought exercises to reduce daily distress from unexplained physical symptoms
NCT ID NCT07646509
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study explores whether listening to happy music or practicing cognitive reappraisal (thinking about symptoms in a more helpful way) can reduce the intensity and impairment of persistent physical symptoms in people with Somatic Symptom Disorder. Forty adults aged 18–65 will use a smartphone app to report their symptoms and try these strategies up to four times daily over six weeks. The goal is to find practical, real-time tools that can be used in everyday life.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Music listening and cognitive reappraisal
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this approach could offer a simple, low-cost way to help people with Somatic Symptom Disorder manage their symptoms in daily life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 40 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The interventions are brief and may not work for 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
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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
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 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: * Somatic Symptom Disorder Exclusion Criteria: * chronic physical illnesses that fully explain the somatic symptoms * current psychotic disorder * current bipolar disorder * current self-harming behavior * current suicidality * current psychotherapy * alcohol, drug, or medication dependence within the past 6 months
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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University of Vienna
RECRUITINGVienna, State of Vienna, 1010, Austria
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