Dance/Movement Therapy for Functional Neurological Disorder

NCT07378488 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: HR-25/26-51710
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Building on evidence for somatic or physical interventions in functional neurological disorder (FND), the goal of this study is to test the feasibility of a structured dance/movement task in individuals with FND, and explore the potential use of somatic or body-based therapies in this population. The primary study outcomes will be the feasibility and acceptability of a structured dance/movement therapy (DMT) intervention for individuals diagnosed with FND. The study will also explore whether this type of intervention has potential to contribute to elevating trust in the body and general wellbeing, alongside reducing functional neurological and dissociative symptoms. Researchers will compare structured dance/movement therapy to a physical exercise/body coordination condition.

Conditions

Functional Neurological Disorder

Keywords

Functional Neurological Disorder; Dance Movement Therapy; Interoception; FND; Intervention; Physical Exercise

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Feasibility of the intervention: Recruitment

  The number/proportion of eligible participants who consent to participate in the study by 29/05/2026

  Up to 16 weeks

• Feasibility of the intervention: Adherence

  The number/proportion of in-person visits and mid-point calls attended and completed. The number of days the task was completed during the at-home periods.

  Up to 20 weeks

• Feasibility of the intervention: Withdrawal

  The number/proportion of enrolled (consented) participants who withdraw from the study prior to completion.

  Up to 20 weeks

• Feasibility of the intervention: Adverse events

  The number and nature of adverse events reported during study participation.

  Up to 20 weeks

• Feasibility of the intervention: Acceptability

  Qualitative measures of perceived benefit of the intervention, barriers and facilitating factors, experiences of study procedures.

  Up to 20 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (23)

• Clinical Global Impression - Improvement Scale

  Baseline, Week 2.5, Week 5, Week 9

• Functional Neurological Symptoms Questionnaire

  Baseline, Week 2.5, Week 5, Week 9

• Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness - 2

  Baseline, Week 2.5, Week 5, Week 9

• Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire

  Baseline, Week 2.5, Week 5, Week 9

• Cognitive Behavioural Response Questionnaire - Short Form

  Baseline, Week 2.5, Week 5, Week 9

Study Arms (2)

Structured dance/movement therapy

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive a structured dance/movement therapy programme over a period of five weeks

Other: Structured dance/movement

Physical exercise/body coordination

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will receive a physical exercise/body coordination programme over a period of five weeks

Other: Physical exercise/body coordination

Interventions

Structured dance/movement OTHER

Fifteen participants will be randomly assigned using a computer-generated allocation sequence to the dance/movement intervention. This will involve a combination of light stretching, warming up using contact with a stress ball, and aerobic dance movements which follow the rhythm of a piece of music. It will be accessible to a range of abilities and will take \~30 minutes. This intervention has been developed with the aim of: * Enhancing adaptive bodily awareness, allowing the participant to feel more safe and at home in their body while promoting accurate and non-judgmental detection of bodily signals * Working with rhythms and coordinated movements leading to the elevation of the salience of bodily signals (heartbeat, sweating) in a structured setting - promoting adaptive noticing of signals in the body, not distracting from what one might be feeling. * Helping participants to engage with their body, notice and sense what they're feeling, and feel more comfortable moving their body.

Structured dance/movement therapy

Physical exercise/body coordination OTHER

Fifteen participants will be randomly assigned to this task. This will involve simple functional stretches, balances and limb coordination exercises and will use only neutral instructions. It will be accessible to a range of abilities and will take \~30 minutes. This task has been developed as the control condition with the following in mind: * Including functional movement matched for level of aerobic intensity to the dance/movement task. * Matching the length of the task and level of contact with the lead researcher/research team. * No prompts or explicit instructions to focus on bodily sensations, the self or body in the present moment, or to move in an expressive way; purely focused on mobility and physical functioning.

Physical exercise/body coordination

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 18 or older
• Fluency in English language
• Normal or corrected eyesight
• Primary diagnosis of FND with seizures, motor symptoms, sensory symptoms, or mixed FND symptoms
• Participants will be asked to provide proof of FND diagnosis in the form of an existing medical letter from a qualified healthcare professional (not required to be from an NHS service). This will be checked prior to engaging in the screening interview for the study.

You may not qualify if:

• Physical symptoms or disability that would prohibit the participant's ability to engage with the intervention and/or attend the in-person sessions (e.g., upper/lower limb paralysis, seizure frequency \> 10 per day, severe tremor)
• A diagnosis of functional cognitive disorder or functional cognitive symptoms only
• Current participation in another body-based therapy or intervention for FND - participants currently engaging in some form of body- based therapy, whether self-guided or therapist-guided, will be asked to abstain from these sessions during the course of this study. If this is not feasible, the participant will be excluded from the current study.
• Current comorbid diagnosis of a major neurological (e.g., epilepsy, Parkinson's), psychiatric (e.g., schizophrenia, active psychosis, severe alcohol or substance use disorder), or cardiovascular (e.g., coronary artery disease, heart failure) disorder that may impair the participant's ability to participate in the study and confound the results

Sponsors & Collaborators

• King's College London: lead

Study Sites (1)

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London

London, London, SE5 8AB, United Kingdom

RECRUITING

Related Publications (5)

• Kennedy-Barnes E, Millman LSM, Basamh Y, Duarte A, Pacelli J, Hodsoll J, Pick S. Somatic yoga therapy for functional neurological disorder: A feasibility randomised controlled trial. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/r3cgf_v1

  BACKGROUND

• Pick S, Rojas-Aguiluz M, Butler M, Mulrenan H, Nicholson TR, Goldstein LH. Dissociation and interoception in functional neurological disorder. Cogn Neuropsychiatry. 2020 Jul;25(4):294-311. doi: 10.1080/13546805.2020.1791061. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

  PMID: 32635804 BACKGROUND

• Pick S, Goldstein LH, Perez DL, Nicholson TR. Emotional processing in functional neurological disorder: a review, biopsychosocial model and research agenda. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2019 Jun;90(6):704-711. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2018-319201. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

  PMID: 30455406 BACKGROUND

• Millman LSM, Hunter ECM, Terhune DB, Orgs G. Online structured dance/movement therapy reduces bodily detachment in depersonalization-derealization disorder. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2023 May;51:101749. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2023.101749. Epub 2023 Mar 30.

  PMID: 37018935 BACKGROUND

• Millman LSM, Short E, Stanton B, Winston JS, Nicholson TR, Mehta MA, Reinders AATS, Edwards MJ, Goldstein LH, David AS, Hotopf M, Chalder T, Pick S. Interoception in functional motor symptoms and functional seizures: Preliminary evidence of intact accuracy alongside reduced insight and altered sensibility. Behav Res Ther. 2023 Sep;168:104379. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104379. Epub 2023 Jul 25.

  PMID: 37516011 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Conversion Disorder; Motor Activity

Interventions

Movement

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Somatoform Disorders; Mental Disorders; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: One research team member, leading the collection of laboratory data and inputting secondary outcome measures, will be blinded to group assignment. Participants will be reminded not to disclose information related to group allocation to this team member to prevent possible bias during the trial.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2026
• First Posted: January 30, 2026
• Study Start: January 28, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 28, 2026
• Last Updated: February 4, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

GB (1)