VR goggles beat back brief pain in lab test
NCT ID NCT07192822
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether using virtual reality (VR) can lower the pain people feel from short, hot but tolerable pokes on the skin. 24 healthy adults rated their pain with and without VR, and also when getting one poke versus two at the same time. The goal was to see if VR can be a simple, drug-free way to ease brief pain.
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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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24 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2025
- Finished
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May 2025
- 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 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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:Inclusion Criteria: * Currently enrolled in a course at the University of Washington Psychology Dept., participating in the UW Psychology subject pool * Able to read, write and comprehend English * Able to complete study measures * Willing to follow our UW approved instructions * 18 years of age or older Exclusion Criteria: * People how have already previously participated in this same study (e.g., last quarter) are not eligible to participate again. * Not enrolled in a course at the University of Washington Psychology Dept., participating in the UW Psychology subject pool * Not be able to read, write and comprehend English * Younger than 18 years of age. * Not capable of completing measures * Not capable of indicating pain intensity, * Not capable of filling out study measures, * Extreme susceptibility to motion sickness,
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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