Measuring the Effects of Complementary Therapies in Chronic Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic Pain
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Neuropathic Pain focused on measuring hypnosis, open label placebo, neurocognitive measures, stress, induced pain, HRV
Eligibility Criteria
Patients:
Inclusion criteria:
- aged 18-90 years,
- interested in complementary medicine
- peripheral neuropathic pain lasting for more than 6 months,
- pain intensity of at least 3/10 VAS over the last two weeks
Exclusion criteria:
- cognitive deficit (MMSE<24/30),
- severe hearing impairment,
- acute psychiatric (e.g. suicidality, psychotic symptoms) or somatic (e.g. unstable cardiorespiratory condition) co-morbidity preventing full engagement in the 8-week study intervention,
- prior negative experience with hypnosis,
- allergy or intolerance to mannitol.
Healthy controls:
Inclusion Criteria:
- matching patients for age and gender,
- no chronic pain condition no acute pain condition requiring daily intake of analgesics,
- no acute medical or psychiatric condition.
Sites / Locations
- Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV)Recruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Experimental
Placebo Comparator
No Intervention
Hypnosis
Open Label placebo
Usual care
This represents 6 individual script-based sessions lasting 1h, distributed over 8 weeks, administered by a certified expert in therapeutic hypnosis. A set of standardized recordings are provided to use at home for self-hypnosis. Suggestions address deep relaxation, sensory substitution or transformation, pain intensity reduction, decreased pain unpleasantness and intensity, sense of control. A brief example of such suggestions: "in this deeply relaxed state, you can imagine that your feet are covered in anesthetic… a deep layer of a powerful anesthetic medication, creating protective, soothing socks with which you can walk again…".
This consists in information provided with a placebo pill. Patients are asked to take the placebo pills as a self-healing ritual. The information relies on 4 points of explanation, i.e. (1) the placebo effect can be powerful, (2) the body automatically can respond to taking placebo pills like Pavlov dogs who salivated when they heard a bell, (3) a positive attitude can be helpful but is not necessary, and (4) taking the pills faithfully for the full duration of treatment is critical.
Patients continue with their usual treatments