Chronic pain to cease with mindfulness meditation
Anew study now finds that mindfulness meditation is a promising option for easing chronic pain. The research, based on pooled analysis of available data, was published online in the journal, Evidence Based Mental Health.
The findings indicate that mindfulness meditation can lessen the severity and impact of chronic pain, and the accompanying distress on daily life. The researchers say that the study is important because the most widely used psychological technique for treating chronic pain is cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation focusing on moment to moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and the immediate environment. The stress reduction element aims to develop ways of coping more effectively with pain.
The study, conducted with nearly 2,000 people, found that there were no important differences between either of the two techniques. Both significantly improve physical functioning and lessen pain severity and associated depression.
However, researchers conclude, “While CBT is considered to be the preferred psychological intervention, not all patients experience a clinically significant treatment response. An additional solution might be to offer patients mindfulness based stress reduction, since it is promising in reducing pain interference and psychological distress.” ANI