A pilot study assessing the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of an 8-week Sophrology intervention for people with chronic pain in the UK

Rationale: Chronic pain is difficult to treat and pain medication is often ineffective and associated with side-effects. Thus, alternative treatments are frequently used. Sophrology is a method to improve wellbeing combining Western and Eastern practices. Widely used in French-speaking countries for over 40 years. Sophrology uses relaxation, breathing exercises, visualisations, and bodily movements. Benefits include reduced anxiety and depression, improved stress and pain management, as well as enhanced sleep quality. However, little is known of its effectiveness on pain management in the UK. Aims and objectives: This study assessed the feasibility and potential impact of an 8-week sophrology intervention among British adults living with chronic pain. Methods: A pilot study using a randomised controlled trial design comparing individuals participating in an 8-week sophrology intervention with a control group was conducted. One hundred participants were randomised into two groups and completed a baseline and 8-week follow-up assessment. Scales assessed levels of pain, disability, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction, resilience, pain catastrophising tendency and pain medication. Open questions were used to collect feedback on the intervention. Mixed analyses of variance were conducted to compare scores within- and between-subjects. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: 17 participants completed the intervention and follow-up questionnaire compared to 26 in the control (CG). Compared to the CG, the intervention group displayed significant reductions in pain medication usage, rumination, magnification, depression, anxiety and disability levels, sleep disturbances, as well as a significant increase in treatment satisfaction. There was no difference in life satisfaction and resilience scores between groups. Conclusions: Sophrology can be an effective technique in improving wellbeing and reducing pain medication usage, which has implications for chronic pain management. A larger study is needed to assess sophrology’s benefits and compare these to that of alternative treatments, as well as to explore the reasons for dropout rates.