FibromyalgiaNCT06579261
The Effects of Core Shamanism in Fibromyalgia
A study of Fibromyalgia, run by University of California, Irvine at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study aims to determine the feasibility of a shamanism intervention for patients with fibromyalgia, acquire efficacy data to determine if Shamanism reduces clinical pain and other common symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, and determine if the Shamanism intervention changes heart rate electrocardiogram (ECG)… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 75 years, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Fibromyalgia
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 25 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Aug 2024to Dec 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 18 to 75 years
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Female
- Over 18 and under 75 years of age.
- Fibromyalgia patients and satisfies the 2016 Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria for the classification of FM.
- Mean recalled pain over the last seven days (7-day recall) greater than or equal to 4 on a 10 cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain; 7-day recall.
- Willing to limit the introduction of any new medications or treatment modalities for control of FM symptoms during the study.
- Able to travel to the study site to receive shamanic treatments up to twice weekly.
Show all 9Show fewer
- Understanding and willing to complete all study procedures.
- Capable of giving written informed consent.
- Proficient ability to speak, read, and write in english.
Who cannot join
- Presence of a concurrent autoimmune or inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. that causes pain.
- History of head injury with substantial loss of consciousness
- Peripheral neuropathy of known cause that interferes with activities of daily living.
- Routine daily use of opioid analgesics, marijuana, or history of substance abuse.
- Stimulant medications, such as those used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (e.g., amphetamine/ dextroamphetamine [Adderall®], methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine), or the fatigue associated with sleep apnea or shift work (e.g., modafinil), are excluded.
- Concurrent participation in other therapeutic trials.
Show all 18Show fewer
- Use of as needed (PRN) over the counter (OTC) pain medications (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), etc.) on day of electroencephalogram (EEG) testing.
- Use of PRN opioid analgesics 48 hours prior to electroencephalogram (EEG) testing.
- Pregnant or nursing. A pregnancy test will be given prior to electroencephalogram (EEG) sessions.
- Severe psychiatric illnesses (current schizophrenia, major depression with suicidal ideation, substance abuse within two years).
- Contraindications to EEG methods. These may include but are not limited to: surgical clips, surgical staples, metal implants, and certain metallic dental material.
- Any impairment, activity or situation that is in the judgment of the Study Coordinator or Principal Investigator that would prevent satisfactory completion of the study protocol. This includes unreliable, or inconsistent pain scores as deemed by the principal investigator.
- Sufficient knowledge of Shamanism techniques that may bias participant outcomes.
- Presence of factors that may preclude the safe use of the Shamanism intervention.
- History vascular surgery in lower limbs or current lower limb vascular dysfunction.
- Presence of uncontrolled cardiovascular disease.
- Subjects with Worker's Compensation, Workman's Compensation, civil litigation or disability claims pertinent to the subject's fibromyalgia; current involvement in out-of-court settlements for claims pertinent to the subject's fibromyalgia; or currently receiving monetary compensation as a result of any of the above.
- Inability or unwillingness of an individual to give written informed consent.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
University of California, Irvine Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute contact
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute
Irvine, California, 92617
Huiyi Bao, B.S., B.A., 949-824-7000, huiyib@uci.edu
Ahmad Mahan, 9493853299, amahan1@hs.uci.edu
About this study
This study aims to determine the feasibility of a shamanism intervention for patients with fibromyalgia, acquire efficacy data to determine if Shamanism reduces clinical pain and other common symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, and determine if the Shamanism intervention changes heart rate electrocardiogram (ECG), breathing rate, and brain wave electroencephalogram (EEG) outcomes in fibromyalgia patients and shamanic practitioners.
The investigators hypothesize that 80% of individuals will complete at least 80% of study visits, clinical pain severity and/or interference will be significantly reduced following the Shamanic intervention, and lung, heart, and/or brain activity will be altered with the Shamanic intervention and also become more synchronized between Shamanic Practitioners (SPs) and patients during the course of treatment.
Read the detailed description
This study includes an 8-week long intervention, with 5 one-on-one treatment sessions with Fibromyalgia (FM) participants and shamanic practitioners (SPs). During each treatment session the FM participant will listen to classical music first as a control, followed by drumming music (4-7 beats/sec) for 15-30 minutes with the SP and a debrief session. The SP will employ the structure and principles of "Core Shamanism" as developed by Michael Harner. The first and last treatment sessions will include EEG measurements of both the patient and practitioner, while all sessions will have ECG and breathing rate for both patient and practitioner.
Pre screening questionnaires will be administered prior to shamanic treatments to ensure patients and SPs meet study inclusion criteria and give consent to the intervention. Following consent, pre and post treatment questionnaires will be administered to patient and SP participants to capture symptoms of fibromyalgia and treatment related experiences.
1-, 3-, and 6-month followup visits will involve the same questionnaires being administered and recorded to assess durability of treatment response.
- Conditions
- Fibromyalgia
- Being tested
- Core Shamanism
- Keywords
- fibromyalgia chronic pain
- Medical subject headings
- Fibromyalgia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Core ShamanismOther
Each Shamanic intervention session, led by the shamanic practitioner, will include classical music as a control, followed by repetitive drumming and/or rattling music which the participant and shamanic practitioner will listen to for 15-30 mins. Following listening to drumming, the patient will then talk with the shamanic practitioner to debrief the experience of each session. Participants will also listen to classical music as a control stimulus.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Fibromyalgia participants - Shamanic Intervention | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Core Shamanism |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Primary Outcomes: Attendance Measurement
To investigate the primary outcome of feasibility, the investigators will record attendance and assess how many Fibromyalgia (FM) patients complete 80% of treatment visits (4 out of 5 sessions). Participants who complete at least 80% of visits will be marked as a completer and those who attend less than 80% of treatment visits will be marked as a "non-completer". The investigators will perform a completer versus non-completer analysis on all participants enrolled.
Measured: Pre screening (2-4 weeks prior to start of treatment visits), Baseline (Pre treatment visit Day 0), Treatment Visits 1-5 (To be done over 8 week long period), Post Treatment Assessment, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow ups Post-treatment visit 5
Secondary outcomes (2)
Secondary Outcomes: Pain Measurement using Brief Pain Index (BPI) which uses a 0-10 numeric rating scale
Pain and other outcomes will be assessed at the University of California, Irvine by trained clinical research coordinators. The secondary outcomes for the study are pain severity and interference. These outcomes will be assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). BPI is measured in the form of a participant self report questionnaire. It will measure where in the body pain is present and its severity as well as how much that pain is impacting daily life.
Measured: Pre screening (2-4 weeks prior to start of treatment visits), Baseline (Pre treatment visit Day 0), Treatment Visits 1-5 (To be done over 8 week long period), Post Treatment Assessment, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow ups Post-treatment visit 5
Secondary outcomes: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Scales which uses a 10 cm visual scale.
Pain and other outcomes will be assessed at the University of California, Irvine by trained clinical research coordinators. The investigators will have each FM patient complete a 10 cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scale with anchors at 0 of "no pain" and 10 as "the worst pain imaginable". A VAS 7 day average recall will be used for inclusion into the study. Patients must score above a 4 on the VAS 7 day recall to be eligible to participate in this study. A daily VAS pain report and present VAS pain report will also be asked during screening, baseline, pre treatment, post treatment assessment visits, and 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow up visits.
Measured: Pre screening (2-4 weeks prior to start of treatment visits), Baseline (Pre treatment visit Day 0), Treatment Visits 1-5 (To be done over 8 week long period), Post Treatment Assessment, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow ups Post-treatment visit 5
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Aug 2024
- Study start1 Aug 2024
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for FibromyalgiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, IrvineThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Irvine
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Richard Edmund Harris, University of California, Irvine
- Investigators
- Richard E Richard, PhD, Principal investigator, UCI SSIHI
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06579261
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 3326
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 6 Aug 2024
- Last updated
- 23 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 23 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effects of Core Shamanism in Fibromyalgia
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06579261
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 3326
- Conditions
- Fibromyalgia
- Keywords
- fibromyalgia chronic pain
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, IrvineUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Aug 2024 (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.
This study aims to determine the feasibility of a shamanism intervention for patients with fibromyalgia, acquire efficacy data to determine if Shamanism reduces clinical pain and other common symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, and determine if the Shamanism intervention changes heart rate electrocardiogram (ECG), breathing rate, and brain wave electroencephalogram (EEG) outcomes in fibromyalgia patients and shamanic practitioners.
The investigators hypothesize that 80% of individuals will complete at least 80% of study visits, clinical pain severity and/or interference will be significantly reduced following the Shamanic intervention, and lung, heart, and/or brain activity will be altered with the Shamanic intervention and also become more synchronized between Shamanic Practitioners (SPs) and patients during the course of treatment.
Detailed description
This study includes an 8-week long intervention, with 5 one-on-one treatment sessions with Fibromyalgia (FM) participants and shamanic practitioners (SPs). During each treatment session the FM participant will listen to classical music first as a control, followed by drumming music (4-7 beats/sec) for 15-30 minutes with the SP and a debrief session. The SP will employ the structure and principles of "Core Shamanism" as developed by Michael Harner. The first and last treatment sessions will include EEG measurements of both the patient and practitioner, while all sessions will have ECG and breathing rate for both patient and practitioner.
Pre screening questionnaires will be administered prior to shamanic treatments to ensure patients and SPs meet study inclusion criteria and give consent to the intervention. Following consent, pre and post treatment questionnaires will be administered to patient and SP participants to capture symptoms of fibromyalgia and treatment related experiences.
1-, 3-, and 6-month followup visits will involve the same questionnaires being administered and recorded to assess durability of treatment response.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Fibromyalgia participants - Shamanic Intervention | Experimental | Other: Core Shamanism |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 75 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Female
- Over 18 and under 75 years of age.
- Fibromyalgia patients and satisfies the 2016 Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria for the classification of FM.
- Mean recalled pain over the last seven days (7-day recall) greater than or equal to 4 on a 10 cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain; 7-day recall.
- Willing to limit the introduction of any new medications or treatment modalities for control of FM symptoms during the study.
Key exclusion criteria (18 listed)
- Presence of a concurrent autoimmune or inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. that causes pain.
- History of head injury with substantial loss of consciousness
- Peripheral neuropathy of known cause that interferes with activities of daily living.
- Routine daily use of opioid analgesics, marijuana, or history of substance abuse.
- Stimulant medications, such as those used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (e.g., amphetamine/ dextroamphetamine [Adderall®], methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine), or the fatigue associated with sleep apnea or shift work (e.g., modafinil), are excluded.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Core ShamanismEach Shamanic intervention session, led by the shamanic practitioner, will include classical music as a control, followed by repetitive drumming and/or rattling music which the participant and shamanic practitioner will listen to for 15-30 mins. Following listening to drumming, the patient will then talk with the shamanic practitioner to debrief the experience of each session. Participants will also listen to classical music as a control stimulus. | Other | Fibromyalgia participants - Shamanic Intervention |
Primary outcome
Primary Outcomes: Attendance Measurement
Time frame: Pre screening (2-4 weeks prior to start of treatment visits), Baseline (Pre treatment visit Day 0), Treatment Visits 1-5 (To be done over 8 week long period), Post Treatment Assessment, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow ups Post-treatment visit 5
To investigate the primary outcome of feasibility, the investigators will record attendance and assess how many Fibromyalgia (FM) patients complete 80% of treatment visits (4 out of 5 sessions). Participants who complete at least 80% of visits will be marked as a completer and those who attend less than 80% of treatment visits will be marked as a "non-completer". The investigators will perform a completer versus non-completer analysis on all participants enrolled.
2 secondary outcomes
Secondary Outcomes: Pain Measurement using Brief Pain Index (BPI) which uses a 0-10 numeric rating scale
Time frame: Pre screening (2-4 weeks prior to start of treatment visits), Baseline (Pre treatment visit Day 0), Treatment Visits 1-5 (To be done over 8 week long period), Post Treatment Assessment, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow ups Post-treatment visit 5
Secondary outcomes: Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Scales which uses a 10 cm visual scale.
Time frame: Pre screening (2-4 weeks prior to start of treatment visits), Baseline (Pre treatment visit Day 0), Treatment Visits 1-5 (To be done over 8 week long period), Post Treatment Assessment, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow ups Post-treatment visit 5
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 23 Jun 2026.
Related trials for Fibromyalgia
Active, not recruiting
Objective Measurement of Pain Regulation in Individuals Who Have Received Internet-delivered Exposure-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Fibromyalgia
Enrolling by invitationPhase 3
Open-Label Safety Study of AXS-14 in Subjects With Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia
Recruiting
Exercise Interventions and Dietary Advice in Fibromyalgia and IBS
Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Recruiting
Whole-body Cryotherapy in Those With Chronic Fatigue: A Feasibility Study
ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia (FM)
Recruiting
Auricular Acupuncture for Autonomic Balance and Pain in Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia Syndrome
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.
University of California, Irvine Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute contact
Richard E Richard, PhD principal investigator
UCI SSIHI
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study of Fibromyalgia, run by University of California, Irvine 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 9 inclusion and 18 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Jun 2026. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact University of California, Irvine Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute (949-824-7000, ssihi@hs.uci.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Primary Outcomes: Attendance Measurement (time frame: Pre screening (2-4 weeks prior to start of treatment visits), Baseline (Pre treatment visit Day 0), Treatment Visits 1-5 (To be done over 8 week long period), Post Treatment Assessment, 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow ups Post-treatment visit 5). 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 23 Jun 2026.