The experiment confirmed: mindful meditation dulls the pain
Miscellaneous / / July 11, 2022
It's not about self-hypnosis: it's just that during meditation, the brain processes painful sensations differently.
Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine measuredDisentangling self from pain: mindfulness meditation-induced pain relief is driven by thalamic-default mode network decoupling / Pain the impact of mindfulness meditation on pain perception and brain activity.
For this, 40 volunteers who had not previously meditated were selected. During the first phase of the experiment, scientists studied their reaction to painful sensations: bye to caviar a hot object (49°C) was applied to the right leg of the subject, functional MRI monitored the activity brain. Participants were then asked to rate their pain level.
During the second phase, the participants were divided into two groups. Volunteers from the first group completed four 20-minute mindfulness trainings. In the process, they were instructed to focus on their breathing and dissociate themselves from sensations: first acknowledge thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and then let them go without judging or reacting to them. Members of the second group at that time listened to ordinary books and did not receive additional instructions.
The next day after the end of the training, all participants again underwent a test with a hot object and MRI. The participants from the first group had to meditate, while the members of the second simply sat with their eyes closed. All participants then rated their pain level.
The researchers found that participants who actively meditated rated their pain intensity 32% lower compared to the first test, and the pain itself was 33% less unpleasant.
MRI data showed that meditation cuts off the connection between the brain regions involved in the sensation of pain and those responsible for self-awareness. As a result, pain signals are still transmitted from the body to the brain, but the person feels less responsible for these pain sensations, which reduces pain and associated suffering.
Here is how the lead author of the study, Fadel Zeidan, commented:
One of the main principles of mindfulness is to separate yourself from your experience. You train to experience thoughts and sensations without attaching your ego to them. Now we have finally seen how this manifests itself in the brain during the experience of acute pain.
Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology, UC San Diego School of Medicine
The important finding of this study was that pain reduction techniques are available to everyone: you don't need to be an expert in meditation to do it. This means that meditation can help people suffering from chronic pain - as well as the mental suffering, irritation and frustration that often accompany it.
By teaching patients to separate themselves from the pain they experience, doctors can increase the effectiveness of more conventional therapies. It will also help reduce pain medication doses without worsening the patient's condition. At home, this is also useful: if you know that the pain is temporary (for example, when menses).
Read also🧐
- 5 Easy Ways to Develop Mindfulness for Those Who Hate Meditation
- New study reveals how meditation improves our health
- 8 Reasons to Make Mindfulness a Habit
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