Digital clinical hypnosis for chronic pain management

Project Summary Chronic pain is a prevalent, disabling problem affecting as many as 116 million adults in the United States. However, there are very few treatment options for chronic pain management, and those that are available are inadequate for the majority of those with this condition. Many also have significant negative side effects or are associated with significant adverse events. A growing body of research supports the short- and long-term benefits of hypnosis treatment for chronic pain. Hypnosis treatment has also been shown to have few negative side effects, while also having additional benefits over and above reductions in pain intensity, including reductions in anxiety and improvements in sleep quality. However, access to hypnosis treatment is limited because few health care providers are trained in its use. HypnoScientific, Inc. was established to increase access to effective hypnosis treatment by developing and making it available online and via mobile devices, i.e., digital hypnosis. To maximize efficacy, HypnoScientific’s products are informed by the findings from a well- established and ongoing research program studying the mechanisms of hypnotic analgesia, including pilot research that has tested a hypnosis digital therapeutic prototype. The first aim of the currently proposed Phase I project is to develop the hypnosis digital therapeutic prototype further by: (1) updating and increasing the number of hypnosis media tracks offered, (2) designing a ruleset for content delivery, (3) developing UI/UX standards to optimize ease of use and efficacy, and (4) developing a content management system consistent with this ruleset, that would allow content to be provided to individuals with chronic pain via an existing telehealth company’s platform. The project’s second aim is to evaluate the feasibility of the technology delivery system developed in Aim 1 in a sample of 50 individuals with chronic pain. These individuals will be randomized to having more access (i.e., 8 full weeks) or less access (i.e., 4 weeks of no access followed by 4 weeks of access) to the therapeutic, and feasibility variables will be collected during and after the trial. The findings from this trial will allow us to determine if the proposed approach for making hypnosis treatment more accessible to the millions of individuals who could benefit from it is viable. The findings will also provide data that will inform the design of a definitive trial testing the technology in a Phase II project.