Hypnosis, Meditation, and Self-Induced Cognitive Trance to Improve Post-treatment Oncological Patients' Quality of Life: Study Protocol.
Charlotte Grégoire, Nolwenn Marie, Corine Sombrun, Marie-elisabeth Faymonville, Ilios Kotsou, Valérie Van Nitsen, Sybille De Ribaucourt, Guy Jerusalem, Steven Laureys, Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, Olivia Gosseries
Frontiers in psychology January 1, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.807741 via PubMed
Summary
A longitudinal controlled trial is set to evaluate the effectiveness of three group interventions—hypnosis, meditation, and self-induced cognitive trance (SICT)—on improving quality of life for oncological patients experiencing cancer-related fatigue, emotional distress, sleep difficulties, pain, and cognitive difficulties. The study aims to enroll 160 patients who have completed active treatments within the last year and are not currently practicing these interventions. Data will be collected at four time points to assess short- and long-term outcomes.
Study at a glance
| Design | longitudinal controlled superiority trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 160 |
| Population | oncological patients who completed active treatments less than a year ago |
| Key finding | The study aims to assess the effectiveness of hypnosis, meditation, and SICT in improving symptoms such as cancer-related fatigue and emotional distress among oncological patients. |
Abstract
A symptom cluster is very common among oncological patients: cancer-related fatigue (CRF), emotional distress, sleep difficulties, pain, and cognitive difficulties. Clinical applications of interventions based on non-ordinary states of consciousness, mostly hypnosis and meditation, are starting to be investigated in oncology settings. They revealed encouraging results in terms of improvements of these symptoms. However, these studies often focused on breast cancer patients, with methodological limitations (e.g., small sample size, no control group, and no follow-up). Another non-ordinary state of consciousness may also have therapeutic applications in oncology: self-induced cognitive trance (SICT). It seems to differ from hypnosis and meditation, as it involves the body more directly. Thus, investigating its clinical applications, along with hypnosis and meditation interventions, could improve available therapeutic options in oncology. This article details the study protocol of a preference-based longitudinal controlled superiority trial aiming to assess the effectiveness of 3 group interventions (hypnosis, meditation, and SICT) to improve oncological patients' quality of life, and more specifically CRF, emotional distress, sleep, pain, and cognitive difficulties (primary outcomes). A power analysis required a total sample of 160 patients. Main inclusion criteria are: cancer diagnosis, active treatments completed for less than a year, no practice of hypnosis, meditation, or SICT, and presence of at least one of these four symptoms: fatigue, sleep difficulties, depression, or anxiety. Each participant will choose the intervention in which they want to participate (hypnosis, mindful self-compassion meditation, SICT, or no intervention-control group). To test the effectiveness of the interventions, data will be collected by questionnaires and neurobiological measures and directly from the medical record at four time points: before inclusion in the study (baseline); immediately after the intervention; and at 3- and 12-month follow-up. The longitudinal data in each group will then be measured. In addition to standard cancer therapies, there is a growing interest from patients in complementary approaches, such as hypnosis, meditation, and SICT. The results of this study will be useful to increase knowledge about short- and long-term effectiveness of 3 group interventions for CRF, emotional distress, sleep, pain, and cognitive difficulties in patients with different cancers. ClinicalTrials.gov/ (NCT04873661). Retrospectively registered on the 29th of April 2021. url: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04873661.