Calming Minds Study

Understanding the Mechanisms Driving the Reduction of Repetitive Negative Thought

The goal of this study is to understand why certain treatments help people reduce repetitive negative thinking (RNT), which is common in many mental health problems. We want to:

1. Figure out what actually causes repetitive negative thinking to decrease when people use cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
2. Find out which parts of RNT-focused CBT are the most important - the parts that truly make a difference in reducing RNT.

The main result we will look at is how much a person's repetitive negative thought patterns change from the start of the study to the end of treatment (16 weeks). We will measure this using the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire at baseline and week 16.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Depression; Anxiety; Anxiety Depression; Rumination - Thoughts; Worry
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Behavioral: Be Specific; Behavioral: Be Kind; Behavioral: Break Habit; Behavioral: Be Present

Detailed Description

Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to one of 16 different treatment groups. Each group will get a different mix of 1-5 tools or strategies taken from Rumination-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RF-CBT).

All participants, regardless of their treatment assignment, will get a basic set of lessons about repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and how CBT can help. This means every participant gets therapeutic support.

Participants will use a digital therapy program through the MyDataHelps app. The CBT lessons are available in English or Spanish, according to the participant's preference. Each participant will also be offered 3-6 meetings with a coach from our team, to review the lessons and tools in the digital therapy program. It is expected that the digital therapy program and coaching sessions will be completed within 4 months on study. Once 4 months have passed since their start on study, participants are asked to complete online questionnaires that will measure their recent symptom experiences. Participants are then asked to complete these questionnaires again 1 year after starting on study. These questionnaires are used to measure changes in symptom experiences from baseline (before starting the digital therapy program).

In addition to the primary goals listed in the brief summary, this study also aims to look at the following:

1. How anxiety and depression symptoms change during their use of the digital therapy program.
2. Whether people's mental health symptoms change over time after using the digital therapy program.

d) Who benefits most from which components, so therapy can be more personalized in the future.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 500
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Imperial, California, United States, 92251
      • Imperial Valley College
      • Contact: Research Coordinator; Phone Number: (310) 825-8403; Email: calmingminds@mednet.ucla.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18+ years
• Able to provide a valid Imperial Valley College email address
• Access to a suitable smartphone/device (iPhone 8+ running iOS 16.4 or higher, or Android version 8 or higher)
• Access to internet
• Elevated repetitive negative thought (RNT) based on scores from Ruminative Response Scale Brood subscale (RSS-brood) and Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Concurrent psychotherapy
• Self-reported current or past diagnosis or treatment for Psychosis
• Self-reported current or past diagnosis or treatment for Bipolar disorder
• Self-reported current or past diagnosis or currently receiving, or waiting to receive, treatment for substance abuse/dependence
• Self-reported current diagnosis or currently receiving, or waiting to receive, treatment for alcohol abuse/dependence
• Antidepressant/anxiolytic medication that has changed in dose or nature in last 6 weeks
• Current severe PTSD defined as measured by the adapted International Trauma Questionnaire
• Active suicidal thoughts or self-harm

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

16

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Psychoeducation Only; Participants receive only core psychoeducation without any additional RF-CBT components.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.
Experimental: Be Specific; Participants receive training in increasing specificity and concreteness ("Be Specific") in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.
Experimental: Be Kind; Participants receive training in self-compassion ("Be Kind") in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.
Experimental: Break Habit; Participants receive training in breaking the habit of repetitive negative thinking ("Break Habit") in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.
Experimental: Be Present; Participants receive training in absorption in direct experience ("Be Present") in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.
Experimental: Be Specific + Be Kind; Participants receive training in both specificity/concreteness and self-compassion in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.
Experimental: Be Specific + Be Present; Participants receive training in both specificity/concreteness and absorption in direct experience in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.
Experimental: Be Kind + Be Present; Participants receive training in both self-compassion and absorption in direct experience in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.
Experimental: Be Specific + Be Kind + Be Present; Participants receive training in specificity/concreteness, self-compassion, and absorption in direct experience in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.
Experimental: Break Habit + Be Specific; Participants receive training in both breaking the habit of RNT and increasing specificity/concreteness in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.
Experimental: Break Habit + Be Kind; Participants receive training in both breaking the habit of RNT and self-compassion in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.
Experimental: Break Habit + Be Specific + Be Kind; Participants receive training in breaking the habit of RNT, specificity/concreteness, and self-compassion in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.
Experimental: Break Habit + Be Present; Participants receive training in both breaking the habit of RNT and absorption in direct experience in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.
Experimental: Break Habit + Be Specific+ Be Present; Participants receive training in breaking the habit of RNT, specificity/concreteness, and absorption in direct experience in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.
Experimental: Break Habit + Be Kind + Be Present; Participants receive training in breaking the habit of RNT, self-compassion, and absorption in direct experience in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.
Experimental: ALL; Participants receive training in all four RF-CBT components: breaking the habit of RNT, specificity/concreteness, self-compassion, and absorption in direct experience; in addition to standard psychoeducation.	Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that provide foundational information about repetitive negative thinking and why it occurs. Helping participants understand explanations for their symptoms and difficulties, which reduces the search for understanding, insight and certainty shown to drive RNT, and normalizes their experiences. This corresponds with the RF-CBT components of individualized rationale, psychoeducation, empathy and understanding.; Behavioral: Be Specific; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills in shifting from unhelpful abstract to helpful concrete processing style. Helping participants make changes to processing style to improve problem-solving and reduce emotional reactivity. Training concrete thinking to reduce RNT by increasing specific contextualized detail in description of events and plans.; Behavioral: Be Kind; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for replacing self-criticism with self-compassion. Helping participants shift toward a kinder, more validating way of relating to themselves to reduce the emotional patterns that sustain RNT. Training self-compassion skills to counter harsh self-evaluation and support emotional regulation.; Behavioral: Break Habit; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for disrupting repetitive negative thinking as a habitual mental behavior. Helping participants identify early warning signs, use stimulus-control strategies, form implementation intentions, and practice alternative responses to build more adaptive habits. Training new behavioral and cognitive routines to replace automatic RNT patterns.; Behavioral: Be Present; Digital therapy lessons and coaching that emphasize skills for improving attention to present-moment experience. Helping participants redirect attention away from unhelpful mental ruminations by strengthening mindfulness and task absorption. Training present-moment awareness to interrupt the cognitive processes that maintain RNT by cultivating absorption in direct sensory experience.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire score from baseline to post-intervention	Change in repetitive negative thought as indexed by the Perseverative Thinking questionnaire	Baseline, 16 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in GAD-7 score from baseline to post-intervention	Change in anxiety measured with GAD-7	Baseline, 16 weeks & 52 weeks
Change in PHQ-9 score from baseline to post-intervention	Change in depression measured with PHQ-9	Baseline, 16 weeks & 52 weeks
Change in WEMWBS from baseline to post-intervention	Change in mental wellbeing measured with WEMWBS (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale short-form)	Baseline, 16 weeks & 52 weeks
Change in RRS-Brooding subscale from baseline to post-intervention	Change in levels of rumination measured with RRS-Brooding subscale	Baseline, 16 weeks & 52 weeks
Change in PSWQ score from baseline to post-intervention	Change in levels of worry measured with PSWQ (Penn State Worry Questionnaire short-form)	Baseline, 16 weeks & 52 weeks
Change in WSAS score from baseline to post-intervention	Change in social functioning measured with WSAS (Work and Social Adjustment Scale)	Baseline, 16 weeks & 52 weeks
Change in EMA from baseline to post-intervention	Change in repetitive negative thought (RNT) in everyday life measured with ecological momentary assessment (EMA) (aggregrate person-level ratings of RNT across 10 day period; variability of RNT; relationship of RNT to mood state & contextual events; automaticity of RNT, based on EMA items). This provides an ecologically valid measure, in the real-world, of extent of RNT and how it changes pre-to-post intervention.	Baseline, 16 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles
• Collaborators: University of Exeter

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 8, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 14, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 14, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 3, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 11, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 3, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Mental Health; Anxiety; Worry; STAND; Imperial Valley College; Community College; Calming Minds
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Anxiety Disorders; Depression; Psychological Well-Being
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB-25-1994

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No