An interventional study of Empowered Relief Course (Zoom) in Chronic Pain Due to Cancer and Pain Catastrophizing, sponsored by University of Oklahoma. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 120 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-14.
Sponsored by University of Oklahoma · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This randomized controlled study to examine the efficacy of ER class in cancer survivors with chronic pain. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to a ER class or a waitlist control condition. We will recruit 250 participants with a goal of having 200 completers (20% attrition). Participants in the control condition will be invited to attend ER class after the 3-month observation period.
The Empowered Relief (ER) study is a Zoom-based, 1-session, 2-hour, skills-based pain management class delivered by certified instructors. Participants learn three core pain relief skills, develop a personalized plan, and receive access to a free binaural audio app for daily use and supportive daily text messages. Participants will fill out a series of follow-up surveys at the 1, 2, and 3-month post-class mark. These surveys will be directly compared to surveys given to participants that do not complete the course. Class admittance will be randomized, however, participants not in the treatment group will have the option to take the course after the 3-month observatory period. ER has demonstrated moderate efficacy in individuals with chronic non-cancer pain, reducing pain intensity, pain interference, pain-related distress (pain catastrophizing), sleep disturbance, and anxiety. Because of its brief, didactic nature and delivery via Zoom, ER can accommodate large class sizes and may address access disparities among underserved cancer survivors. ER is currently being studied across various non-cancer populations and has been adopted as standard of care in leading healthcare institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Yet, Empowered Relief has not been tested in cancer survivors.
2,930 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 701 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 215 is above the median of 60 across 2,161 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.
Browse Chronic Pain studies →University of Oklahoma is the lead sponsor of 424 studies on the registry; 99 are open to participants now.
Of its 42 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 16 (38%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
History of cancer diagnosis, completion of active cancer treatment, cancer free at the time of enrollment, experience of body pain most or every day, pain duration at least 3 months, and English fluency.
Exclusion Criteria:
Significant psychological and cognitive impairment that limits one's ability to complete study tasks (completion of online survey, attending the zoom-based ER class). Life-threatening acute illness (e.g., infection, heart attack, injury), and no access to a computer, a smartphone or a tablet.
Participants in this arm of the study will complete the one-time 2hr Empowered Relief zoom course. They will also complete a post-course survey as well as the standardized 1, 2, and 3-month follow-up surveys.
Behavioral: Empowered Relief Course (Zoom)
Participants in the Wait-List Control (WLC) arm will not have initial access to the empowered relief course. Additionally they will not have to complete a post-course survey. The WLC group will be asked to complete the 1, 2, and 3-month follow-up studies after no intervention. After this 3-month observatory period, WLC participants will have voluntary access to the Empowered Relief course.
This is a one-time 2 hour long skills-based pain management class delivered by certified instructors. Participants learn three core pain relief skills, develop a personalized plan, and receive access to a free binaural audio app for daily use and supportive daily text messages.
Overall treatment satisfaction
0-10 scale, higher scores indicate greater satisfaction, mean should be 8 or higher
Time frame: Immediately after intervention
Pain Intensity
0-10 scale, higher scores indicate higher pain
Time frame: 1 month after intervention
Pain Interference
T-scores, higher scores indicate higher pain interference
Time frame: 1 month after intervention
Pain Intensity
0-10 Scale, higher scores indicate higher pain
Time frame: 3 months after intervention
Pain Interference
T-scores, higher scores indicate higher pain interference
Time frame: 3 months after intervention
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: No
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 Oklahoma