A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain
Darren K Cheng,1 Robert Simpson,2– 5 Rahim Moineddin,6 Joel Katz,7– 9 Benoit H Mulsant,10,11 Akshya Vasudev,12 Michelle Greiver,6,13 Fardous Hosseiny,14 Marco Inzitari,15,16 Ronnie I Newman,17,18 Leon Rivlin,19 Kirk D Foat,1 Andrea D Furlan,2,4 John Francis Flannery,2,4 Deanna Telner,6,20 Rachael Bo...
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Dove Medical Press
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Pain Research |
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| Online Access: | https://www.dovepress.com/a-multi-site-randomized-parallel-group-controlled-trial-of-virtually-d-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPR |
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| author | Cheng DK Simpson R Moineddin R Katz J Mulsant BH Vasudev A Greiver M Hosseiny F Inzitari M Newman RI Rivlin L Foat KD Furlan AD Flannery JF Telner D Bosma R Naimer M Chung C Pinto AD Nelson MLA Upshur R Sud A |
| author_facet | Cheng DK Simpson R Moineddin R Katz J Mulsant BH Vasudev A Greiver M Hosseiny F Inzitari M Newman RI Rivlin L Foat KD Furlan AD Flannery JF Telner D Bosma R Naimer M Chung C Pinto AD Nelson MLA Upshur R Sud A |
| author_sort | Cheng DK |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Darren K Cheng,1 Robert Simpson,2– 5 Rahim Moineddin,6 Joel Katz,7– 9 Benoit H Mulsant,10,11 Akshya Vasudev,12 Michelle Greiver,6,13 Fardous Hosseiny,14 Marco Inzitari,15,16 Ronnie I Newman,17,18 Leon Rivlin,19 Kirk D Foat,1 Andrea D Furlan,2,4 John Francis Flannery,2,4 Deanna Telner,6,20 Rachael Bosma,21 Michelle Naimer,6,22 Chadwick Chung,23 Andrew D Pinto,6,24– 26 Michelle LA Nelson,1,26,27 Ross Upshur,1,6,26 Abhimanyu Sud6,28 1Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; 3Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; 4Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 5Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland; 6Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 7Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; 8Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 9Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 10Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 11Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 12Medpoint Clinic, London, ON, Canada; 13Department of Family and Community Medicine, North York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 14Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, ON, Canada; 15REFiT Research Group, Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili and VHIR, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 16Faculty of Health Sciences and eHealth Lab, Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 17Art of Living Foundation, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA; 18Nova Southeastern University Lifelong Learning Institute, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA; 19Emergency Medicine, Humber River Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 20South East Toronto Family Health Team, Toronto, ON, Canada; 21Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI), Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 22Department of Family Medicine, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 23Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, ON, Canada; 24Upstream Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 25Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 26Division of Clinical Public Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 27Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 28Research Institute, Humber River Health, Toronto, ON, CanadaCorrespondence: Abhimanyu Sud, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada, Email abhimanyu.sud@utoronto.caBackground: Chronic pain (CP) often co-occurs with depression, but promising scalable interventions have been under-investigated. We assessed the effectiveness of the virtually-delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation (SSM) program in reducing depressive symptoms in people with CP and moderate depressive symptoms.Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing SSM to the Health Enhancement Program (HEP), an active control. Participants were recruited from multiple sites in the Greater Toronto Area and virtually. Both 12-week programs were delivered virtually in groups by appropriately trained facilitators. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT04039568.Results: Of 108 participants enrolled, 89 were randomized to SSM (n=43) or HEP (n=46). Between-group differences for the PHQ-9 were not significant. Within-group mean differences for SSM were significant and greater than the minimal clinically important difference at both 12 weeks and 24 weeks (− 3.97 (95% CI − 6.69 to − 1.24) and − 4.96 (− 8.36 to − 1.56), respectively), while within-group mean differences were not significant for HEP.Conclusion: This study suggests potential benefits of SSM for individuals with comorbid CP and depression. Future trials should include larger sample sizes in non-pandemic conditions to better evaluate the effectiveness of SSM. Further research should also explore pragmatic trial designs and the integration of mind-body interventions in clinical settings.Keywords: chronic pain, depressive disorder, mind-body therapies, meditation, clinical trial |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c76f727cf42e4b41b39eb7773d5c6b16 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1178-7090 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Pain Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-c76f727cf42e4b41b39eb7773d5c6b162025-08-20T03:32:36ZengDove Medical PressJournal of Pain Research1178-70902025-06-01Volume 18Issue 129252946103868A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic PainCheng DK0Simpson R1Moineddin R2Katz J3Mulsant BH4Vasudev A5Greiver M6Hosseiny FInzitari M7Newman RIRivlin L8Foat KD9Furlan AD10Flannery JF11Telner DBosma RNaimer M12Chung C13Pinto AD14Nelson MLA15Upshur R16Sud A17Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research InstituteToronto Rehabilitation Institute, KITE Research InstituteDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of MedicineDepartment of PsychologyDepartment of PsychiatryDepartment of PsychiatryDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of MedicineREFiT research groupEmergency Medicinen/aToronto Rehabilitation InstituteToronto Rehabilitation InstituteDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of MedicineClinical EducationUpstream Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge InstituteInstitute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation; Dalla Lana School of Public HealthDivision of Clinical Public Health, Dalla Lana School of Public HealthDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of MedicineDarren K Cheng,1 Robert Simpson,2– 5 Rahim Moineddin,6 Joel Katz,7– 9 Benoit H Mulsant,10,11 Akshya Vasudev,12 Michelle Greiver,6,13 Fardous Hosseiny,14 Marco Inzitari,15,16 Ronnie I Newman,17,18 Leon Rivlin,19 Kirk D Foat,1 Andrea D Furlan,2,4 John Francis Flannery,2,4 Deanna Telner,6,20 Rachael Bosma,21 Michelle Naimer,6,22 Chadwick Chung,23 Andrew D Pinto,6,24– 26 Michelle LA Nelson,1,26,27 Ross Upshur,1,6,26 Abhimanyu Sud6,28 1Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; 3Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; 4Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 5Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland; 6Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 7Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; 8Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 9Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 10Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 11Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 12Medpoint Clinic, London, ON, Canada; 13Department of Family and Community Medicine, North York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 14Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, ON, Canada; 15REFiT Research Group, Parc Sanitari Pere Virgili and VHIR, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 16Faculty of Health Sciences and eHealth Lab, Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 17Art of Living Foundation, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA; 18Nova Southeastern University Lifelong Learning Institute, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA; 19Emergency Medicine, Humber River Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 20South East Toronto Family Health Team, Toronto, ON, Canada; 21Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI), Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 22Department of Family Medicine, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 23Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Toronto, ON, Canada; 24Upstream Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; 25Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 26Division of Clinical Public Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 27Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 28Research Institute, Humber River Health, Toronto, ON, CanadaCorrespondence: Abhimanyu Sud, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada, Email abhimanyu.sud@utoronto.caBackground: Chronic pain (CP) often co-occurs with depression, but promising scalable interventions have been under-investigated. We assessed the effectiveness of the virtually-delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation (SSM) program in reducing depressive symptoms in people with CP and moderate depressive symptoms.Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing SSM to the Health Enhancement Program (HEP), an active control. Participants were recruited from multiple sites in the Greater Toronto Area and virtually. Both 12-week programs were delivered virtually in groups by appropriately trained facilitators. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT04039568.Results: Of 108 participants enrolled, 89 were randomized to SSM (n=43) or HEP (n=46). Between-group differences for the PHQ-9 were not significant. Within-group mean differences for SSM were significant and greater than the minimal clinically important difference at both 12 weeks and 24 weeks (− 3.97 (95% CI − 6.69 to − 1.24) and − 4.96 (− 8.36 to − 1.56), respectively), while within-group mean differences were not significant for HEP.Conclusion: This study suggests potential benefits of SSM for individuals with comorbid CP and depression. Future trials should include larger sample sizes in non-pandemic conditions to better evaluate the effectiveness of SSM. Further research should also explore pragmatic trial designs and the integration of mind-body interventions in clinical settings.Keywords: chronic pain, depressive disorder, mind-body therapies, meditation, clinical trialhttps://www.dovepress.com/a-multi-site-randomized-parallel-group-controlled-trial-of-virtually-d-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPRchronic paindepressive disordermind-body therapiesmeditationclinical trial |
| spellingShingle | Cheng DK Simpson R Moineddin R Katz J Mulsant BH Vasudev A Greiver M Hosseiny F Inzitari M Newman RI Rivlin L Foat KD Furlan AD Flannery JF Telner D Bosma R Naimer M Chung C Pinto AD Nelson MLA Upshur R Sud A A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain Journal of Pain Research chronic pain depressive disorder mind-body therapies meditation clinical trial |
| title | A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain |
| title_full | A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain |
| title_fullStr | A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain |
| title_short | A Multi-Site, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Controlled Trial of Virtually-Delivered Sahaj Samadhi Meditation for the Management of Moderate Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Pain |
| title_sort | multi site randomized parallel group controlled trial of virtually delivered sahaj samadhi meditation for the management of moderate depressive symptoms in chronic pain |
| topic | chronic pain depressive disorder mind-body therapies meditation clinical trial |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/a-multi-site-randomized-parallel-group-controlled-trial-of-virtually-d-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPR |
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