Body-Focused Mindfulness as an Add-on Intervention in Inpatient Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment (MBI-AUD-PL)
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorMedical University of Warsaw
About this trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a body-focused mindfulness program can help people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) feel more connected to their bodies and manage their emotions better. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the mindfulness program reduce feelings of disconnection from the body (bodily dissociation)? Does it improve awareness of body signals (interoceptive awareness)? Does it lower alcohol craving and reduce the chance of returning to drinking after leaving the hospital? Researchers will compare participants who receive the mindfulness program to participants who receive standard psychoeducation sessions, within the same overall inpatient AUD treatment program.
Participants will:
* Take part in 6 weekly group sessions (90 minutes each) of body-focused mindfulness, which includes breathing exercises, body scan, gentle movement, and group discussion. * Receive audio recordings of guided mindfulness exercises to practice independently between sessions. * Complete questionnaires about their emotions, body awareness, and alcohol craving before and after the program. * Be followed up at 4 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after leaving the hospital to track their drinking.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder (DSM-5)
Currently admitted to the inpatient AUD treatment program at the study ward
Age 18 years or older
Written informed consent provided
Disqualifiers
Refusal to participate or withdrawal of consent
Severe somatic condition precluding participation in group activities
Current acute psychotic symptoms
Severe affective symptoms requiring intensive intervention
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Body-Focused Mindfulness Intervention
BehavioralSix weekly 90-minute group sessions incorporating breath-focused meditation, body scan (lying and seated positions), mindful movement and stretching, and structured inquiry. Delivered in an open circular group format by therapists trained in mindfulness-based approaches. No direct reference to alcohol use. Participants receive audio recordings of guided mindfulness exercises and are encouraged to practice independently (5-10 minutes daily) between sessions.
Standard Psychoeducation
BehavioralSix weekly 90-minute group psychoeducation sessions added to standard inpatient AUD treatment. Sessions cover standard topics related to alcohol use disorder, recovery, and coping strategies. Delivered by the same therapists as the experimental group. All other components of the inpatient treatment program are identical between groups.
Treatment groups
240 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Body-Focused MindfulnessExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Psychoeducation (Active Comparator)Active comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2) - total score
The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2) is a 37-item self-report questionnaire assessing eight dimensions of interoceptive awareness including noticing, attention regulation, emotional awareness, self-regulation, body listening, and trusting bodily sensations. Total score ranges from 0 to 185, with higher scores indicating greater interoceptive awareness (better outcome).
Time frame
Baseline and 6 weeksSecondary outcomes
1
Scale of Body Connection - Bodily Dissociation subscale (SBC-BD)
The Scale of Body Connection (SBC) is a 20-item measure on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = "not at all" to 5 = "all of the time") assessing bodily experience. The Bodily Dissociation subscale (SBC-BD) comprises 8 items, with total scores ranging from 8 to 40; higher scores indicate greater bodily dissociation (worse outcome). The SBC is specifically designed for mind-body intervention research and shows good construct validity and sensitivity to change in mindfulness interventions.
Time frame
Baseline and 6 weeks2
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) - total score
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a 36-item self-report questionnaire measuring difficulties in emotion regulation across six dimensions: non-acceptance of emotional responses, difficulty engaging in goal-directed behaviors, impulse control difficulties, lack of emotional awareness, limited access to regulation strategies, and lack of emotional clarity. Total score ranges from 36 to 180, with higher scores indicating greater difficulties in emotion regulation (worse outcome).
Time frame
Baseline and 6 weeks3
Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) - total score
The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) is a 20-item self-report measure of alexithymia assessing three dimensions: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking. Total score ranges from 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater alexithymia (worse outcome).
Time frame
Baseline and 6 weeks4
Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) - total score
The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) is a 28-item self-report measure of the frequency of dissociative experiences. Total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater frequency of dissociation (worse outcome).
Time frame
Baseline and 6 weeksOther outcomes
1
Body Maps - Bodily Sensation Phenomenology (paper-based measure)
The Body Maps - Bodily Sensation Phenomenology is a paper-based body mapping measure in which participants mark, on printed body outlines (front and back views of the whole body and of the head), the bodily regions where they typically experience sensations when experiencing a given emotion or state. The intensity of sensations in each marked region is indicated by the number of crosses placed there, from 1 (very weak sensation) to 5 (very strong sensation). For each marked region participants also rate pleasantness on a 1 to 7 scale (1 = very unpleasant, 4 = neutral, 7 = very pleasant), with higher scores indicating more pleasant sensations. Administered at baseline and post-intervention for eight states: happiness, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise, shame, and a neutral state.
Time frame
Baseline and 6 weeks2
Post-Session Single-Item Measures (three NRS items)
Three single-item Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) measures, each ranging from 0 to 10, are administered immediately after each session to participants in both groups. Item 1 assesses mindful awareness (0 = not at all able to notice what was happening inside them, 10 = fully able to notice; higher scores indicate better outcome). Item 2 assesses interoceptive awareness (0 = did not feel their body at all clearly, 10 = felt their body very clearly; higher scores indicate better outcome). Item 3 assesses current alcohol craving (0 = not at all craving alcohol, 10 = unbearably craving; higher scores indicate worse outcome). Items 1 and 2 refer to the session experience (retrospective), while Item 3 refers to the current moment (post-session state). Administered to both groups to allow direct comparison of session effects between body-focused mindfulness and psychoeducation conditions.
Time frame
After each session, up to 6 weeksSponsors and contacts
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Medical University of Warsaw
Lead sponsor
University of Warsaw
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov