Skip to main content The purpose of this study is to explore whether e-Hypnotherapy (pre-recorded hypnotherapy) is effective in improving pain and other biopsychosocial outcomes for people living with chronic pelvic pain. This is a world-first innovation, as the online intervention can be delivered in a way that closely mirrors how hypnosis is experienced face-to-face, where participants are provided with options for their hypnosis experience and can choose based on their preferences.
Who can participate?
You may be eligible to participate if you:
- Have self-reported chronic/persistent pelvic pain for at least 3 months.
- Reside in Australia.
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be proficient in English.
- Not pregnant, nor seeking to become pregnant.
- Have had no pelvic area surgery within the last 6 months.
- Have had no engagement in hypnotherapy within the last 6 months.
- Experience at least mild levels of pain.
- Experience at least mild levels of psychological distress.
- Experience no extreme dissociative symptoms.
You will also be screened for mental health concerns by our study psychologist (or provisional psychologist), who will determine your eligibility, including cognitive impairment, suicide/self-harm, substance use/dependence, Bipolar I/Bipolar II, Schizophrenia/Psychosis, PSTD, and Borderline Personality Disorder. Please note that if you become pregnant at any point during the study, you must communicate this to the research team, and you may be withdrawn from the study.
What does the research involve?
Intervention Groups #1 and #2: Participants randomised to these groups will be provided with a website link to access the online intervention. The intervention will run for 7 weeks and includes 7 self-directed audio modules. Although participants will have access to all 7 modules at all times, we encourage participants to complete 1 module a week for the 7-weeks. We also encourage participants to practice (repeat) modules. This means participants could spend as little as 40-minutes to several hours per week on each intervention. Participants will also receive weekly reminders to access the intervention.
Waitlist Control (WLC) Group: Participants randomised to this group will go on a waitlist and be offered the e-Hypnotherapy intervention at the end of their time in the study (12 months post group allocation).
Please note: All participants will continue their usual medical care.
Follow-up Commitment:
All participants in both the intervention groups and the WLC group will be asked to provide follow-up information as described below:
Questionnaires: Participants will be asked to complete 4 online questionnaires at baseline (before the intervention), 7-weeks (after the intervention), 6-months, and 12-months. After the completion of each questionnaire, participants will receive a $10 gift voucher via email to thank them for their time and input, therefore, participants can receive a total of $40 if they complete all 4 questionnaires. Participants will also be asked to complete brief (5-minute) questionnaires weekly throughout the duration of the 7-week trial period (no gift vouchers will be provided for the 5-minute questionnaires).
Only participants in the intervention groups will be asked to provide follow-up information as described below:
Interviews: A smaller group of participants will be invited to participate in a series of follow-up interviews at 7-weeks, 6-months, and 12-months later. Interviews will be conducted via Zoom on a one-to-one basis and will be approximately 45 minutes in length. Each interview will be run by a facilitator who will ask questions and guide the discussion. Each interview will be recorded for later transcription and analysis. After the completion of each interview, participants will also receive a $30 gift voucher via email to thank them for their time and input, therefore, participants can receive a total of $90 if they complete all 3 interviews.
Study Team Contact: A member of our study team will contact participants via phone call in weeks 3 and 7 to check in regarding participants' experience of the intervention.
How do I get involved?
This study will be conducted entirely online. If you decide you would like to be involved in this research project, please follow the link below and register.