HEALTH
Whether acute or chronic, pain can be an all-encompassing feeling. It can make everyday activities physically and emotionally challenging. Our current understanding of pain is based on a biopsychosocial model, meaning that our biology, our thoughts, and our experiences contribute to our perception of pain (1). From the perspective of a healthcare provider, this can make treating a patient’s pain difficult because there are many different pathways contributing to a person’s perception of pain. Chronic pain is associated with depression, anxiety and fatigue. The treatment options we have available such as medications, physical therapy, and surgery are not always effective or safe for all of our patients and they do not always address these associated conditions that contribute to a decreased quality of life.
Meditation, in combination with your current treatment regimen, may help to improve your quality of life. While it is not a cure-all for chronic or acute pain, meditation or mindfulness practices can change how you relate and respond to your pain. A few studies have demonstrated functional changes in the brain’s response to pain in people who meditate versus those who do not (2). Additional studies have shown an overall improvement in a person’s quality of life, reduced pain perception, and increased resilience in those that have participated in meditation or mindfulness courses (1,3,4,5). While the data is not a “slam dunk” for total pain relief, it is promising. An added benefit of meditation is that it is easily accessible to almost everyone as there are no significant costs, no medication interactions and people of all physical fitness and abilities can participate.
Meditation for many of us can seem like a daunting and somewhat confusing practice to begin; shrouded in mysticism, gongs, and incense. While you may choose to add spirituality, aromatherapy, or other aspects to your practice, in truth all you need is a comfortable quiet place to practice. There are many different types of meditation practices, and many different ways to start. The goal of meditation for pain reduction is to be able to decouple the physical sensation of pain from any emotions, and to focus on the present without fear of future pain. Learning how to dissociate the sensation of pain from all of the other feelings and thoughts in your mind allows you to develop better coping mechanisms. Mindful body scans and breathing techniques are just a couple of the tools you can use to bring your attention to the present moment. There are several apps with guided meditation courses, including some specifically aimed at pain management. YouTube has many different channels devoted to meditation courses. Your local library is also a great place to start for meditation literature. My advice is to start small; even 10 mins a day can be helpful in establishing meditation as part of your overall wellness routine.
Meditation, while helpful for pain management, will not eliminate your pain. It should not replace your current treatment but instead be integrated into your overall healthcare plan.
1. Banth S, Ardebil MD. Effectiveness of mindfulness meditation on pain and quality of life of patients with chronic low back pain. Int J Yoga. 2015 Jul-Dec;8(2):128-33. doi: 10.4103/0973-6131.158476. PMID: 26170592; PMCID: PMC4479890.
2. Marie RS, Talebkhah, KS. Neurological Evidence of a Mind-Body Connection: Mindfulness and Pain Control. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2018 (13): 2-5. doi 10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2018.130401.
3. Lin TH, Tam KW, Yang YL, Liou TH, Hsu TH, Rau CL. Meditation-Based Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Pain Med. 2022 Sep 30;23(10):1800-1811. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnac037. PMID: 35226059.
4. Davis MC, Zautra AJ, Wolf LD, Tennen H, Yeung EW. Mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral interventions for chronic pain: differential effects on daily pain reactivity and stress reactivity. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2015 Feb;83(1):24-35. doi: 10.1037/a0038200. Epub 2014 Nov 3. PMID: 25365778; PMCID: PMC4323633.
5. Cejudo J, García-Castillo FJ, Luna P, Rodrigo-Ruiz D, Feltrero R, Moreno-Gómez A. Using a Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Promote Subjective Well-Being, Trait Emotional Intelligence, Mental Health, and Resilience in Women With Fibromyalgia. Front Psychol. 2019 Nov 14;10:2541. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02541. PMID: 31798502; PMCID: PMC6867972.
