Mindfulness And Placebo for Pain (MAPP) Study

This study proposes a three-arm randomized-controlled trial (RCT) that evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of combining a mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) and open-label placebo (OLP) treatment for individuals with chronic pain. Individuals with chronic pain will be recruited to participate in an 8-week trial, with a subsequent 3-month post-treatment follow-up. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the following three conditions: 1. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 2. OLP treatment 3. combination of MBSR and OLP treatment

Inclusion Criteria: 1. ≥18 years old; 2. ability to speak, write, and read in English; 3. physical pain present on at least half the days in the past 3 months; and 4. average past week pain severity rating ≥3 on a 0-10 Numerical Rating Scale. Exclusion Criteria: 1. acute pain due to recent injury or surgery; 2. self-reporting of chronic malignant pain (e.g., cancer, HIV); 3. self-reporting of Raynaud's disease (those who can be contraindicated for cold pressor testing); 4. severe psychopathology (e.g., a psychotic disorder) or significant cognitive deficits judged to interfere with study procedures; 5. currently pregnant or breastfeeding; 6. inability to discontinue use of vitamin B2 supplements or a multivitamin containing vitamin B2 throughout the study period (these interfere with riboflavin tracer-OLP treatment adherence-monitoring); 7. inability to commit to study period.