A research project looking at whether smartphone apps can help manage the symptoms of chronic pain and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been launched.
Created by Australian psychologist Mark Grant, the apps focus on key areas related to chronic pain and PTSD: anxiety, medically unexplained pain, insomnia and decreased self-confidence.
The apps are based on EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), a trauma therapy that targets Neuroplastic changes in the brain that maintain trauma and pain (e.g., focused attention and bilateral stimulation).
They offer chronic pain sufferers with trauma an important adjunct to traditional care.
The apps are designed to be used together, depending on the immediate needs of the user. For many PTSD survivors, pain is the top priority. For others, it might be managing anxiety. Needs can fluctuate on a daily or hourly basis, so the four apps give sufferers a range of options.
To assess the efficacy of these apps, Mr Grant is inviting individuals with a past diagnosis, or current symptoms of PTSD, to participate in a 9-month study.
The study is limited to 200 participants, and successful applicants will receive the four apps at no cost, to be used daily for the nine-month period. Participants may keep the apps following the completion of the study.
Participants will be required to complete two short questionnaires before, during, and after the study. These should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Participants who complete the study will enter a draw to win one of three $100 shopping vouchers.
“These apps employ strategies that appeal to sensory-emotional aspects of brain function and learning,” Mr Grant said.
“This approach is faster and more intuitive than traditional methods.
“In 2014, my Anxiety Release app led to the first published account of an app being used to completely resolve chronic pain in a carpal tunnel syndrome sufferer.”
Mr Grant’s study has received ethics approval from RMH HREC.
Participation is voluntary and participants may withdraw at any time.
To enrol, applicants should visit Mr Grant’s website at traumaapps.com.
