Cheng Darren K, Simpson Robert, Moineddin Rahim, Katz Joel, Mulsant Benoit H, Vasudev Akshya, Greiver Michelle, Hosseiny Fardous, Inzitari Marco, Newman Ronnie I, Rivlin Leon, Foat Kirk D, Furlan Andrea D, Flannery John Francis, Telner Deanna, Bosma Rachael, Naimer Michelle, Chung Chadwick, Pinto Andrew D, Nelson Michelle L A, Upshur Ross, Sud Abhimanyu
Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
J Pain Res. 2025 Jun 13;18:2925-2946. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S515229. eCollection 2025.
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.
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.
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.
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.
慢性疼痛（CP）常与抑郁症同时出现，但有前景的可扩展干预措施尚未得到充分研究。我们评估了虚拟提供的萨哈吉三摩地冥想（SSM）计划对减轻CP患者和中度抑郁症状患者抑郁症状的有效性。
我们进行了一项随机对照试验，将SSM与积极对照的健康促进计划（HEP）进行比较。参与者从大多伦多地区的多个地点招募，并通过虚拟方式参与。两个为期12周的计划均由经过适当培训的 facilitator 以小组形式虚拟提供。在基线、12周和24周时使用患者健康问卷（PHQ-9）评估抑郁症状。ClinicalTrials.gov注册号：NCT04039568。
在108名登记的参与者中，89名被随机分配到SSM组（n = 43）或HEP组（n = 46）。PHQ-9的组间差异不显著。SSM组内的平均差异显著，且在12周和24周时均大于最小临床重要差异（分别为-3.97（95%CI -6.69至-1.24）和-4.96（-8.36至-1.56）），而HEP组内的平均差异不显著。
本研究表明SSM对CP合并抑郁症患者可能有益。未来的试验应在非大流行条件下纳入更大的样本量，以更好地评估SSM的有效性。进一步的研究还应探索实用的试验设计以及身心干预在临床环境中的整合。
