Essential Oil-enhanced digital hypnotherapy for subclinical generalized anxiety: a study protocol for a randomized...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Digital Health
• Complementary Medicine

Background:

• Subsyndromal generalized anxiety is common, causing distress and functional impairment.
• Many affected individuals do not qualify for standard treatments.
• Digital interventions targeting psychophysiological regulation offer a scalable solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of digital self-hypnosis combined with essential oils for subsyndromal generalized anxiety.
• To assess the potential for conditioned relaxation responses through olfactory cues.
• To explore the feasibility and participant experience of this multimodal intervention.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial with 630 participants in six groups.
• Intervention: 6-week online self-hypnosis with or without essential oils (bergamot, lavender), plus a 2-week conditioning phase.
• Outcomes: Subjective relaxation (primary), anxiety, stress, sleep, well-being, and physiological measures (HRV, PWV) in a subsample.

Main Results:

• Primary outcome: Subjective relaxation measured by MDBF at baseline, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.
• Secondary outcomes: Assessed anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, sleep quality, well-being, and worry.
• Exploratory analysis: Qualitative insights into participant experiences and intervention sustainability.

Conclusions:

• The study is expected to provide evidence on the effectiveness of digital hypnosis enhanced by essential oils for subsyndromal anxiety.
• It will investigate the induction of conditioned relaxation responses via olfactory stimulation.
• If effective, this intervention could serve as a scalable preventive strategy for individuals with elevated anxiety levels.