Honest placebos to help adults with chronic pain
Optimizing open placebos for chronic pain patients
This project will see if different honest placebo explanations can help adults who use opioids for chronic pain feel less pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rhode Island Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11191573 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a group of about 340 adults with chronic pain who currently use opioid medicines. Participants are assigned to one of four groups that each get an open-label (honest) placebo plus a different short explanation about why placebos can work, including an evidence-based version and a mindfulness-focused version. Researchers will compare symptoms, pain reports, and follow-up measures over time to find which explanation leads to the greatest relief. Participation may include brief in-person sessions and phone or cell follow-up.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21+) with chronic pain who are currently using opioid medications and are willing to try an honest placebo approach are the best fit.
Not a fit: People without chronic pain, those not taking opioids, or those who prefer only active drug treatments may not get benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer a safer, low-risk way to reduce pain by using honest placebos paired with better explanations instead of or alongside opioids.
How similar studies have performed: Previous open-label placebo trials have shown pain reductions in some patients, but systematically comparing different explanations is a new step.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Rhode Island Hospital — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bernstein, Michael Harrison — Rhode Island Hospital
- Study coordinator: Bernstein, Michael Harrison
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.