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Mind over pain: study tests if noticing pain fluctuations eases suffering

NCT ID NCT03939949

Symptom relief Sponsor: Harvard 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study from Harvard University tested whether mindfully noticing changes in pain throughout the day can help people with chronic pain feel more in control and reduce pain intensity. 300 adults with chronic pain for at least six months were split into groups that either paid close attention to pain changes or not. The goal was to see if this simple mental shift could improve well-being and quality of life without medication.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
mindfulness-based attention to pain variability
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to help people with chronic pain feel more in control and experience less pain.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage behavioral study, not a large clinical trial. Results may not apply to everyone with chronic pain, and the effect may be modest.

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

300 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2018

Finished

Jan 2021

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

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 18+ * Suffer from chronic pain (at least six months) * Evaluate their usual level of pain in the last week as 4 and above (on a numeric rating scale from 0-10 with 0 indicating "No Pain" and 10 indicating "Worst pain imaginable) * Fluent in English * Owns a smartphone Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals under the age of 18; * Individuals who are not patients of our collaborating pain clinics or online chronic pain support groups and/or do not endorse their pain as chronic. * Individuals who are pregnant * Individuals with diagnosed cognitive impairment * Individuals who would not be able to read text messages because of visual impairment * Individuals with ongoing/current complications from spinal cord injury * Individuals with active cancer * Amputees * Individuals with unhealed fractures * Diabetics who do not have symptoms under control * Individuals who have visited a doctor for a fall in the last 6 months * Individuals with the diagnosis of schizophrenia

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Chronic Pain chronic pain syndrome Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Chronic pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Brigham and Women's Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

  • Harvard University

    Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States

  • New England Physiatry

    Stoneham, Massachusetts, 02180, United States

  • Tufts Medical Center

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, United States

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