An interventional study of Meditation and Psychoeducation in People Who Use Opioids/People With Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), sponsored by University of California, San Diego. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-02-04.
Sponsored by University of California, San Diego · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The purpose of this study is to assess dyadic physiological coherence and subjective empathic attunement during meditation practices and their association with opioid-related outcomes.
University of California, San Diego is the lead sponsor of 958 studies on the registry; 191 are open to participants now.
Of its 110 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 70 (64%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
20 minutes of guided meditation during the laboratory session involving mindfulness of breathing and lovingkindness practice.
Behavioral: Meditation
Psychoeducation about opioid neuropharmacology.
Behavioral: Psychoeducation
20 minutes of guided meditation during the laboratory session involving mindfulness of breathing and lovingkindness practice.
20 minute psychoeducational script on the impact of opioid use on the brain.
Neurophysiological synchrony
Dyadic Neural Synchrony (DNS) across electrodes and dyads will be computed from EEG oscillations using established inter-brain connectivity metrics. DNS will be quantified as a dyadic coupling parameter computed from time-series features extracted from each participant's EEG activity. Higher DNS values indicate greater therapist-patient neural attunement.
Time frame: During the intervention and for 5 minutes afterwards
Interpersonal Attunement
Interpersonal attunement measured by the Interpersonal Attunement Rating Scale, a 0-10 numeric rating scale to assess sense of connection with the other person (0=no attunement, 10=very high attunement).
Time frame: During Intervention
Opioid Craving
Opioid craving measured by 0-10 numeric rating scale (0=no craving, 10=extreme craving).
Time frame: Pre-Intervention, during Intervention, immediately post-Intervention, and at 1 month follow-up
Opioid Use
Days of opioid use measured by the Timeline Followback Interview and completion of a urine drug toxicology screen.
Time frame: Pre-Intervention, and 1 month Follow-Up
Severity of Pain
Pain rating measured by scores on Brief Pain Inventory, with higher scores indicating higher pain severity (min 0, max 10)
Time frame: Pre-Intervention, during Intervention, immediately post-Intervention, and at 1 month follow-up
Affect
Positive and negative affect measured on a 0-10 numeric rating scale (0=low affect, 10=very high affect).
Time frame: Pre-Intervention, during Intervention, and immediately post-Intervention.
State Self-Transcendence
Nondual awareness measured by the Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment Measure- State (NADA-S), with scores ranging from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater self-transcendence
Time frame: Pre-Intervention, during Intervention, immediately post-Intervention.
Metacognitive processes
Metacognitive Processes of Decentering Scale (MPODS), a 3-Item scale with scores ranging from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater capacity for meta-awareness, non-reactivity, and disidentification.
Time frame: Pre-Intervention, during Intervention, and immediately post-Intervention.
Cardiac-autonomic synchrony
Cardiac-autonomic synchrony (CAS) will be computed from heart rate variability. CAS will be quantified as a dyadic coupling parameter computed from time-series features extracted from each participant's R-R intervals. Higher CAS values indicate greater therapist-patient autonomic attunement.
Time frame: During the intervention and for 5 minutes afterwards
Facial expression synchrony
Facial Expression Synchrony (FES) will be assessed using automated facial expression analysis derived from computer-vision-based facial landmark and action-unit detection. FES will be quantified as a dyadic coupling parameter computed from time-series features extracted from each participant's facial expressions. Higher FES values indicate greater therapist-patient affective attunement
Time frame: During the intervention and for 5 minutes afterwards
Plan to share: Yes — The research team will adhere to the NIH Grants Policy on Availability of Research Results: Publications, Intellectual Property Rights, and Sharing Biomedical Research Resources.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University of California, San Diego