AcupunctureNCT06070090
Tapping in Together: A Pilot Study on Group Acupuncture for Ketamine Experience Integration
A study testing Acupuncture in people with Acupuncture, run by Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this pilot trial is to learn about using acupuncture for ketamine experience integration in adults aged 21-65 who are medically cleared for a ketamine prescription. The aim is to inform future controlled trials investigating efficacy by evaluating the success of: recruitment retention assessment procedures… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 21 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Acupuncture
- What is being tested?
- Acupuncture
- Type of treatment
- Surgery or procedure
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 15 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Oct 2023to 1 Mar 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 21 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- between ages 21-65
- participant in a group ketamine experience between October 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024
Who cannot join
- currently pregnant or breastfeeding
- has a terminal illness
- does not pass medical clearance for ketamine prescription
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The goal of this pilot trial is to learn about using acupuncture for ketamine experience integration in adults aged 21-65 who are medically cleared for a ketamine prescription. The aim is to inform future controlled trials investigating efficacy by evaluating the success of:
- recruitment
- retention
- assessment procedures
- implementation of group acupuncture interventions performed just after a ketamine experience
Participants will be given acupuncture in a group setting after a small-group ketamine experience. The following day, participants will be asked to complete a few brief surveys about their experience.
Read the detailed description
The study will solicit participants to enroll in a physician-supervised ketamine experience directly followed by group acupuncture administered in New York City, between October 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024. A group of 12-28 participants will be enrolled in the study and assigned a participant ID once screened by the researcher and medically approved by the prescribing physician.
Group acupuncture treatments will be conducted one hour after a group ketamine experience commences. The group acupuncture sessions will start with the researcher approaching each participant individually and asking to examine their pulse and tongue. The participants will be given an opportunity to share any information they would like to about specific issues they would like to address with acupuncture. If nothing is shared, the researcher will select treatment points based on their pulse, tongue, body palpation, and intake data. The general location of the points selected will be shared with the participant to gain their consent for treating those areas prior to needle insertion. While the acupuncture needles are retained, participants will rest with music playing. The needles will then be removed, one at a time, from each patient in order of treatment (unless a participant requests needle removal before then). After needle removal, the participants will be asked to sit up for a few minutes before exiting the treatment room. Both the licensed acupuncturist researcher and a psychotherapist will be in the treatment room throughout the 1-hour group acupuncture session.
Participants will be emailed a validated survey via a REDCap secure link before the group acupuncture session (if they had a previous ketamine experience), after their group acupuncture session as well as 3 months from the date of their group acupuncture session. Participants will also be sent optional feedback forms through REDCap after each acupuncture session.
- Conditions
- Acupuncture
- Being tested
- Acupuncture
- Keywords
- Ketamine
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
AcupunctureProcedure or surgery
Also called Acupuncture Therapy
The traditional East Asian methods of treating disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Group | Experimental | This is the group of participants who will receive group acupuncture after a ketamine experience. Receives: Procedure: Acupuncture |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Experienced Integration Scale (EIS)
The scale is intended to gain a sense of the status of a participant's integration process after a psychedelic experience. Participants are asked to rate their agreement to 12 statements using a five-point Likert scale with the anchors "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," "agree," and "strongly agree." The items are worded in a positive direction, so that higher scores indicating greater integration.
Measured: One day after experience
Experienced Integration Scale (EIS)
The scale is intended to gain a sense of the status of a participant's integration process after a psychedelic experience. Participants are asked to rate their agreement to 12 statements using a five-point Likert scale with the anchors "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," "agree," and "strongly agree." The items are worded in a positive direction, so that higher scores indicating greater integration.
Measured: Three months after experience
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Oct 2023
- Study start9 Oct 2023
- Primary completion1 Dec 2023
- Study completion1 Mar 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for AcupunctureStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- An intention-to-treat approach will be used to approximate real-world conditions wherein results will be included even if a participant decides not to participate in the group acupuncture session.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Marjorie Navarro, Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin
- Investigators
- William Morris, PhD, DAOM, Study chair, Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06070090
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 23C.MN
- Status last verified
- Jun 2025
- First submitted
- 29 Sep 2023
- Last updated
- 27 Jun 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Jun 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Tapping in Together: A Pilot Study on Group Acupuncture for Ketamine Experience Integration
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06070090
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 23C.MN
- Conditions
- Acupuncture
- Keywords
- Ketamine
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Academy of Oriental Medicine AustinUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 9 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Dec 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Mar 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this pilot trial is to learn about using acupuncture for ketamine experience integration in adults aged 21-65 who are medically cleared for a ketamine prescription. The aim is to inform future controlled trials investigating efficacy by evaluating the success of:
- recruitment
- retention
- assessment procedures
- implementation of group acupuncture interventions performed just after a ketamine experience
Participants will be given acupuncture in a group setting after a small-group ketamine experience. The following day, participants will be asked to complete a few brief surveys about their experience.
Detailed description
The study will solicit participants to enroll in a physician-supervised ketamine experience directly followed by group acupuncture administered in New York City, between October 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024. A group of 12-28 participants will be enrolled in the study and assigned a participant ID once screened by the researcher and medically approved by the prescribing physician.
Group acupuncture treatments will be conducted one hour after a group ketamine experience commences. The group acupuncture sessions will start with the researcher approaching each participant individually and asking to examine their pulse and tongue. The participants will be given an opportunity to share any information they would like to about specific issues they would like to address with acupuncture. If nothing is shared, the researcher will select treatment points based on their pulse, tongue, body palpation, and intake data. The general location of the points selected will be shared with the participant to gain their consent for treating those areas prior to needle insertion. While the acupuncture needles are retained, participants will rest with music playing. The needles will then be removed, one at a time, from each patient in order of treatment (unless a participant requests needle removal before then). After needle removal, the participants will be asked to sit up for a few minutes before exiting the treatment room. Both the licensed acupuncturist researcher and a psychotherapist will be in the treatment room throughout the 1-hour group acupuncture session.
Participants will be emailed a validated survey via a REDCap secure link before the group acupuncture session (if they had a previous ketamine experience), after their group acupuncture session as well as 3 months from the date of their group acupuncture session. Participants will also be sent optional feedback forms through REDCap after each acupuncture session.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- An intention-to-treat approach will be used to approximate real-world conditions wherein results will be included even if a participant decides not to participate in the group acupuncture session.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Group | Experimental | Procedure: AcupunctureThis is the group of participants who will receive group acupuncture after a ketamine experience. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 21 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- between ages 21-65
- participant in a group ketamine experience between October 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- currently pregnant or breastfeeding
- has a terminal illness
- does not pass medical clearance for ketamine prescription
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| AcupunctureAlso: Acupuncture TherapyThe traditional East Asian methods of treating disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. | Procedure or surgery | Treatment Group |
Primary outcome
Experienced Integration Scale (EIS)
Time frame: One day after experience
The scale is intended to gain a sense of the status of a participant's integration process after a psychedelic experience. Participants are asked to rate their agreement to 12 statements using a five-point Likert scale with the anchors "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," "agree," and "strongly agree." The items are worded in a positive direction, so that higher scores indicating greater integration.
Experienced Integration Scale (EIS)
Time frame: Three months after experience
The scale is intended to gain a sense of the status of a participant's integration process after a psychedelic experience. Participants are asked to rate their agreement to 12 statements using a five-point Likert scale with the anchors "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neither agree nor disagree," "agree," and "strongly agree." The items are worded in a positive direction, so that higher scores indicating greater integration.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Jun 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
William Morris, PhD, DAOM study chair
Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Acupuncture in people with Acupuncture, run by Academy of Oriental Medicine Austin at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Jun 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Experienced Integration Scale (EIS) (time frame: One day after experience). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Jun 2025.