Alcohol WithdrawalASHANCT07444255
Comparison of the Effect on Anxiety of Combining Hypnosis and Aromatherapy Through Olfactory Anchoring Versus Standard Care in Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal
A study testing Usual treatment and Experimental treatment in people with Alcohol Withdrawal and Anxiety, run by University Hospital, Strasbourg, France at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
According to a meta-analysis published in 2019, hypnosis has demonstrated positive effects in the treatment of certain mental illnesses, particularly anxiety. This technique aims to put the subject into a particular state of consciousness conducive to therapeutic action. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Alcohol Withdrawal, Anxiety
- What is being tested?
- Usual treatment and Experimental treatment
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- Mar 2026to May 2029
- 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 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients aged 18 or over
- Patients hospitalized in an addiction unit for acute alcohol withdrawal and suffering from anxiety disorders
- Patients affiliated with a social security health insurance scheme, beneficiaries or dependents
- Patients who speak/read French, are able to understand the objectives and risks associated with the research, and can give dated and signed informed consent
- Patients who adhere to complementary therapies
- For women of childbearing age, patients for whom the beta HCG test (urine or blood, performed routinely) is negative and who are using effective contraception.
Who cannot join
- Allergy(ies)/contraindication(s) to essential oils selected for the project
- Patients with psychosis or complex psychological trauma
- Anosmia, hyposmia, or other olfactory disorders limiting the quality of smell
- Asthma
- Ear, nose and throat pathology(ies) contraindicating essential oils in olfaction
- Skepticism regarding the effectiveness of hypnosis and aromatherapy
Show all 13Show fewer
- Patient under guardianship/curatorship
- Patients excluded from a previous or ongoing study
- Patients in an emergency or life-threatening situation
- Patients under legal guardianship
- Patients who have already participated in this study
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Randomized Trial Comparing the Effect on Anxiety of Combining Hypnosis and Aromatherapy Through Olfactory Anchoring Versus Standard Care in Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal
According to a meta-analysis published in 2019, hypnosis has demonstrated positive effects in the treatment of certain mental illnesses, particularly anxiety. This technique aims to put the subject into a particular state of consciousness conducive to therapeutic action. The safe place in hypnosis is the basis for anxiety relief work, the first step towards the use of hypnotic metaphors. Smell is an excellent way to stimulate the imagination in creating this safe place.
Anchoring allows the effects of a hypnosis session to be reactivated, enabling the subject to re-experience its benefits through tactile stimulation, a key word, or an image. The investigators use olfactory stimulation as a hypnotic anchor while also utilizing the anxiolytic properties of essential oils.
Read more
While there are already studies on the use of hypnosis or aromatherapy in the treatment of patients who use psychotropic drugs, no study to date has focused on their combined use. The innovative aspect of this treatment lies in the prolongation and reinforcement of the effect of the hypnosis session through olfactory stimulation.
The literature shows that memories triggered by a smell have the ability to materialize physiologically in the areas of the brain that process spatial and temporal information. This is also a goal that hypnosis aspires to achieve.
The investigators hypothesize that the use of these two tools in formalized, time-limited nursing interviews can provide patients in the complex withdrawal unit with the means to reduce their anxiety in the short and medium term.
- Conditions
- Alcohol Withdrawal, Anxiety
- Being tested
- Usual treatment, Experimental treatment
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Usual treatmentOther
Withdrawal care provided according to standard practice
Experimental treatmentOther
Treatment for withdrawal using hypnosis and aromatherapy
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal treated by usual treatment | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Other: Usual treatment |
| Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal treated with Hypnosis and Aromatherapy | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Experimental treatment |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change of anxiety disorders as assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale between the start and end of the patient's hospitalization.
Measured: Day 0 and Day 15
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Mar 2026
- Study startMar 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionMay 2029 (estimated)
- Study completionMay 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Alcohol WithdrawalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University Hospital, Strasbourg, FranceThe 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Benoît Lefeuvre, Principal investigator, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07444255
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RC25-0040
- Acronym
- ASHA
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 24 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 6 Mar 2026
- 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 6 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Randomized Trial Comparing the Effect on Anxiety of Combining Hypnosis and Aromatherapy Through Olfactory Anchoring Versus Standard Care in Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07444255
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ASHA / RC25-0040
- Conditions
- Alcohol Withdrawal, Anxiety
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Strasbourg, FranceUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Mar 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- May 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- May 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 2 Mar 2026 (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.
According to a meta-analysis published in 2019, hypnosis has demonstrated positive effects in the treatment of certain mental illnesses, particularly anxiety. This technique aims to put the subject into a particular state of consciousness conducive to therapeutic action. The safe place in hypnosis is the basis for anxiety relief work, the first step towards the use of hypnotic metaphors. Smell is an excellent way to stimulate the imagination in creating this safe place.
Anchoring allows the effects of a hypnosis session to be reactivated, enabling the subject to re-experience its benefits through tactile stimulation, a key word, or an image. The investigators use olfactory stimulation as a hypnotic anchor while also utilizing the anxiolytic properties of essential oils.
While there are already studies on the use of hypnosis or aromatherapy in the treatment of patients who use psychotropic drugs, no study to date has focused on their combined use. The innovative aspect of this treatment lies in the prolongation and reinforcement of the effect of the hypnosis session through olfactory stimulation.
The literature shows that memories triggered by a smell have the ability to materialize physiologically in the areas of the brain that process spatial and temporal information. This is also a goal that hypnosis aspires to achieve.
The investigators hypothesize that the use of these two tools in formalized, time-limited nursing interviews can provide patients in the complex withdrawal unit with the means to reduce their anxiety in the short and medium term.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal treated by usual treatment | Active comparator | Other: Usual treatment |
| Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal treated with Hypnosis and Aromatherapy | Experimental | Other: Experimental treatment |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Patients aged 18 or over
- Patients hospitalized in an addiction unit for acute alcohol withdrawal and suffering from anxiety disorders
- Patients affiliated with a social security health insurance scheme, beneficiaries or dependents
- Patients who speak/read French, are able to understand the objectives and risks associated with the research, and can give dated and signed informed consent
- Patients who adhere to complementary therapies
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Allergy(ies)/contraindication(s) to essential oils selected for the project
- Patients with psychosis or complex psychological trauma
- Anosmia, hyposmia, or other olfactory disorders limiting the quality of smell
- Asthma
- Ear, nose and throat pathology(ies) contraindicating essential oils in olfaction
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Usual treatmentWithdrawal care provided according to standard practice | Other | Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal treated by usual treatment |
| Experimental treatmentTreatment for withdrawal using hypnosis and aromatherapy | Other | Patients Undergoing Alcohol Withdrawal treated with Hypnosis and Aromatherapy |
Primary outcome
Change of anxiety disorders as assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale between the start and end of the patient's hospitalization.
Time frame: Day 0 and Day 15
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 6 Mar 2026.
- 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.
Benoît Lefeuvre principal investigator
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Usual treatment and Experimental treatment in people with Alcohol Withdrawal and Anxiety, run by University Hospital, Strasbourg, France at 1 site in France.
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 6 inclusion and 13 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Mar 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 France. 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 Benoît Lefeuvre (+33 88 11 66 53, benoit.lefeuvre@chru-strasbourg.fr), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change of anxiety disorders as assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale between the start and end of the patient's hospitalization. (time frame: Day 0 and Day 15). 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 6 Mar 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.