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A Pragmatic Trial of EAET for Veterans With Chronic Pain

A Pragmatic Trial of Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Veterans With Chronic Pain: Phase 1

Who can join

Ages 18 and older · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Veteran at one of 7 VA healthcare systems;
* Age 18 years or older;
* At least 3 months of musculoskeletal pain, defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) diagnostic codes, which include the following M-code diagnoses: back pain, fibromyalgia, limb pain, neck pain; R-code diagnoses: pelvic and perineal pain, jaw pain; and G-code diagnoses: tension headaches; and
* Pain of at least moderate severity, defined as ≥4 "on average" on the 0-10 Numeric Pain Rating Scale

Exclusion Criteria:

* Poorly controlled major psychiatric illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder with acute psychotic symptoms, severe manic or depressive episode listed as active in CPRS);
* Active suicide or violence risk (e.g., currently suicidal or homicidal ideation, intent, or plans);
* Active severe drug/alcohol use disorder (e.g., drinking more than intended, tried to stop but couldn't, spent significant time drinking or being sick from aftereffects, wanted drink so badly you couldn't think of anything else, interference with home or work life, continued to drink despite problems, given up on activities, dangerous situations, withdrawal and/or tolerance); and
* Current participation in CBT-CP or EAET, or participation in either intervention in the last 6 months, via clinical care or another research study.

About the study

About one in three Veterans lives with long-term (chronic) pain, and many of them also struggle with past trauma and mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) is a type of talk therapy that helps people understand and express their emotions, especially those linked to past trauma. This therapy has been shown to help reduce pain and improve mental health.

So far, multiple studies have tested EAET in both Veterans and civilians, and the results have been promising. EAET has helped people feel less pain, move better, and experience fewer mental health symptoms. Because of these strong results, the U.S. Department of Health \& Human Services named EAET a Best Practice for managing pain in 2019.

Two earlier studies at a VA hospital in Los Angeles found that EAET worked even better than another well-known therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) for older Veterans. However, those studies were done in tightly controlled settings. Now, researchers want to see if EAET works just as well when it's used in everyday healthcare settings, by different types of doctors and therapists.

Doctors and therapists at up to 7 VA hospitals across the country will be trained to use EAET. They will then try it out with Veterans to see how well it works and how easy it is to use in real clinics. Veterans, doctors, and other staff will be asked for feedback to learn what helps or gets in the way of using EAET.

What is being tested

• Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) (behavioral)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) (behavioral)

Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles · Participants: 672 · Started: Jan 2, 2026

Contact the study team

• Brandon C Yarns, MD, MS · Phone: 310 268 3304

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07218757

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Musculoskeletal Pain
• Chronic Pain

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.