In an earlier post, I reported on some work by Montreal University researcher Pierre Rainville, PhD, who found that meditators experienced an 18% reduction in pain sensitivity compared to their non-meditating counterparts.
A new study by Christopher Brown, PhD out of the University of Manchester, UK and published in the journal Pain, found that meditation may also decrease the emotional anticipation and impact of pain.
In his experiments, Dr. Brown formed two groups – individuals with meditation experience and a control group whose participants had no meditation background.
All participants were then tested to see how their brains would react to the anticipation of pain.
Brown found that the brains of long-time meditators were less active as they anticipated the pain. They also reported less unpleasantness associated with the pain.
It has long been thought that meditation keeps attention focused on the present rather than the anticipation of future negative events.
What’s interesting about this study is the correlation of long-time meditation practice and the lessening of the experience of pain with lowered activity in the midcingulate cortex.
They also found that the longer a person had practiced meditation, the less the anticipatory neural processing that person experienced and the less negative the individual found the pain.
I am excited about this study, but . . .
. . . there are some challenges because it’s correlational data. And because of that, you can’t really say that meditation was the cause of lessened anticipation or lessened experience of pain.
But you can’t really randomize long-time practice of meditation. With that said . . .
. . . I think this work could have major ramifications for practitioners who treat patients chronic pain and I’m hopeful that more research will be done.
Want to know more about the connection between mindfulness practices and the brain?
Then take a look at our mindfulness programs.
Meanwhile, please leave a comment below telling us about your experience treating pain. What’s worked with your patients?
My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was once entirely right. This publish actually made my day. You cann’t believe simply how so much time I had spent for this info! Thank you!
(funny, i get so personal on my blog, and yet, there are crtiaen things i still feel the need to keep private).and if you really are in a bad or sad or something place right now, then don’t feel bad if you’re not in the spirit – i’d totally understand 🙂
First of all, you don’t have to apologize for what you believe in. 🙂 I’m not at all surprised that you have guardian angels, or, spirit guides. I do too. We all do, but those who do not share in these beliefs will never come to know or ‘see’ theirs. It has nothing to do with religion of any kind. I do not share your beliefs in a christian god though, those beliefs belong to you, respectfully.. . I do believe in a higher intelligence of ‘some kind’ just not the biblical kind, speaking from my own experience. I receive my messages in very vivid dreams, or, right before I wake up I will see something written in my mind’s eye or hear something. I’m not psychic, but from time to time I receive messages about future events or circumstances that are happening in my life now that do come true. I have also heard from my relatives that have passed on. Removing all doubt about the spirit realm.. . Also, being very careful with regards to what you are listening to or being told. Be sure you hold on to your heart and mind and lovingly guard and protect them at all times. Always use discretion, no matter how much you trust your guides, making sure nothing else, of a negative nature, sneeks in.
Really interesting articles. I enjoyed reading it. Are these genuine images or offers the artwork been touched up they’re truly. Appreciate your sharing an excellent info.
Hello.How are you?
My name is Daniela D. Sopezki, I´m a brazilian behavioral and cognitive psychologist. I also work with Yoga classes. And my MD I graduated here in Brazil, in Clinical Psychology.
I´m contacting you because I want a doctorate in Psychology or Medicine, it will depends.
My interest is to research about Mindfulness Based Cognivive Therapy and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.
I want, in the future, to start to develop similars studies in my country, Brazil.
We don´t have many doctors or professors searching these themes in Brazil.
I need a mastermind, a leader to start my projects. Could you help me, please ? Which of the professors that teach in those courses can provide mentorships or supervision for students or professionals?
I can get a scholarship here in Brazil to spend three or four years studying in your country if you could be my professor.
If you remember a professor who can accept my invitation, we can talk more about it as soon as possible.
Thank you for your attention. I hope you can help me J
My ‘off the mat’ experience as a nurse anesthetist has brought my personal practices of mindfulness meditation and yoga full circle. As an anesthesia provider, our habitual first response to alleviating patient fears is a well intended titration of Versed. Yet, when one takes the few extra moments to really listen, to acknowledge a patient’s fears surrounding surgery, and encourage simple mindfulness of breath, the anxiolytic effectiveness is profound.
A simple ‘administering from our hearts’, rather than our syringe, speaks to our compassion and kindness and will be long remembered well after the drugs have gone.
Of course mindfulness; sepcifically meditational breathing; diminishes the arousal accompanying cognitive representations of an event, past or future. I do it at the dentist’s office and at my physician’s office all the time. My dentist’s anticipation of my anticipation of pain is such that I almost offered her training in meditational activities.
I have done this myself, since I was a child, except that I didn’t have a name for it. As an adult, I have had 2 babies and had my wisdom teeth removed, both without anesthetic or any other pain medication. I always described it as “telling my body that it didn’t need to react to the pain, that everything is OK” or that “I have a high pain threshold, or tolerance, to pain”.