Recruiting
Phase 2

Music Therapy

Sponsor:

Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine

Code:

NCT07755540

Conditions

Chronic Pain

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 64

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Music intervention

Study Details

Brief summary:

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week group music therapy intervention for active duty service members with chronic pain. Participants will be randomized to either a group music therapy intervention plus standard care or standard care alone. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, post- treatment (8 weeks), and 1-month follow-up. Primary outcomes include pain interference and pain intensity. Secondary outcomes include pain-related self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, positive affect, sleep disturbance, patient perception of change, and pain medication use. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of participants who receive music therapy to explore subjective experiences and perceived treatment benefits.

Conditions

Chronic Pain

Study ID

NCT07755540

Start date

Mar 17, 2026

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 64

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Active duty service member
  • Age 18 -64 years of age
  • Diagnosis of chronic benign pain for at least 3 months
  • Average pain severity greater than 4/10 on the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale
  • Able to read and understand English

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy
  • Mental health conditions that would prevent compliance with or productive participation in group sessions
  • Cognitive impairment preventing completion of study measures
  • Malignant disease
  • Progressive neurological disorder
  • Moderate to profound hearing impairment not corrected with hearing aids
  • Previous participation in music therapy services at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)

Study Design

Enrollment

130 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Group Music Therapy + Standard Care

Participants will receive eight weekly 75-minute group music therapy sessions in addition to standard pain management care. Sessions include music-guided breathing, relaxation exercises, group improvisation, music listening, discussion, and music-based pain self-management training.

no intervention: Standard Care

Participants will receive standard pain management services available at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. These may include medication management, physical therapy, acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, and interventional pain procedures.

Interventions

Music intervention

An 8-week standardized music therapy protocol delivered in weekly 75-minute group sessions. The intervention is guided by a biopsychosocial framework and includes music-guided breathing, relaxation exercises, group improvisation, processing of music experiences, meaningful music listening, and home practice of music-based pain management skills.

Primary outcome measure

  • Pain Intensity [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 8, and 1-Month Follow-Up as well as pre and post- session ]
  • Pain Interference [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 8, and 1-Month Follow-Up ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Joke Bradt, PhD

2673595508jbradt@drexel.edu

Locations

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)

Recruiting

Anchorage, Alaska, United States, 99505

Contacts

Earl J Banning, PsyD

9075800014earl.j.banning.mil@health.mil

Principal Investigator:

Earl J Banning, PsyD

More Information

Sponsor

Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine

Last update posted

Aug 27, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Keywords

  • Chronic Pain
  • Music Therapy

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-03. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine on 2026-08-27.