Mind over pain: meditation studied as opioid alternative
NCT ID NCT05607381
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jul 28, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether mindfulness meditation can change how the brain processes pain in people with chronic low back pain who use opioids. Researchers will measure brain activity and pain ratings in 150 adults after 8 meditation sessions. The goal is to understand the brain mechanisms behind meditation-based pain relief.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- meditation training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to ease chronic low back pain and reduce reliance on opioids.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on brain mechanisms, not a proven treatment. Results may not lead to a widely available therapy.
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 188 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2022
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
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: 1\) men/women 18-65 years of age; 2) current chronic low back pain classified according to the NIH Pain Consortium task force research standards for chronic low back pain (pain on at least half the days in the past 6 months); usual back pain ≥3 on 0-10 scale with opioid medication; and 4) current use of prescription opioids for ≥3 months. Exclusion Criteria: 1\) Prior experience with MBSR, MBCT, MORE, or extensive involvement in any standardized meditation training, 2) current cancer diagnosis, 3) suicide intent or attempt in the past 30 days, 4) psychosis or moderate/severe non-opioid substance use disorder in past 6 months; 5) persons with any electronic objects or certain metal objects in their head or body that are incompatible with MRI; 6) those who have had an abnormal brain MRI in the past; 7) those unable to lie still on their back for 1 to 1.5 hours; and 8) pregnancy.
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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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Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGSalt Lake City, Utah, 84108, United States
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University of California, San Diego
RECRUITINGLa Jolla, California, 92093, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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