Chronic pain is an unmistakable obstacle to wellbeing. Mindfulness can improve coping abilities and aid the emotional distress that people with persistent pain feel. Keep in mind that meditation should serve as one of a number of approaches to dealing with pain, including physical therapy, natural remedies, or doctor-approved medication.

When it comes to acute or short-term pain, people report less distress and can tolerate more pain in the research laboratory when they have had meditation training, compared to people who do not meditate. Grant JA. Meditative analgesia: the current state of the field. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2014; 1307: 55-63. [PubMed]

The current evidence suggests that mindfulness-based treatments are about as good as well-established psychological treatments for persistent pain, like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

Benefits of mindfulness meditation to manage pain:

• Reduces anxiety
• Reduces depression
• Enhances cognitive control
• Emotion regulation
• Positive mood
• Acceptance

Moreover, there is an abundance of free videos and resources for people who would like to try this practice. From YouTube videos to online courses, mindfulness can be part of your pain management journey.

References:

Grant JA. Meditative analgesia: the current state of the field. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2014; 1307: 55-63. [PubMed]

Zeidan F. The Neurobiology of Mindfulness Meditation. In: Brown KW, Creswell JD, Ryan RM, editors. Handbook of Mindfulness Science: Theory, Research and Practice. The Guilford Press; New York, New York: 2015.