Mindfulness Meditation Linked to Pain Reduction

A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has tied mindfulness meditation practice with pain relief. With numerous studies already suggesting a myriad of health benefits stemming from meditation practice, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s researchers wanted to take a deeper look into the pain alleviation effects. Participants placed into four groups — mindfulness meditation, placebo form of meditation, pain cream, and no intervention — were given a low-level burn to create pain. Participants rated their pain level as well as an emotional responses before and after the study. The individuals in the mindfulness meditation group experienced the lowest pain of any group. Brain scans revealed that the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal regions of the brain were activated during meditation.