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Can Meditation Help Reduce Pain

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy and stress reduction is increasingly being applied to the treatment of chronic pain. A recent study on meditation was published in the Journal of Pain. The study  done at the University of Toronto,  concluded that mindfulness meditation decreased the way in which individuals perceive artificially induced pain. The study done in Toronto was done on college students who were given a total of one hour of mindfulness meditation training.

These college students in Toronto had previously never received any training in mindfulness meditation. Subsequent to the training in meditation the study subjects were given electrical shocks which were harmless but painful. The proposed mechanism by which mindfulness meditation can reduce pain is the cultivation of one’s ability to remain in the present moment. When we are present with what is arising without judging it or pushing it away, negative or painful events lose some of their power to cause suffering.

Those who have experienced pain will describe the fear of pain or anticipation of pain as a pain perception amplifier. In other words fear of pain increases the intensity of pain perception. When we practice mindfulness meditation, we practice watching fear without becoming engulfed by it or reacting to it.  The more one judges their pain, and focuses on it the more intense the perception of pain will be. 

 Mindfulness meditation also teaches us to observe thoughts that judge our pain. Mindfulness meditation also teaches one to focus on the breath and relax the body.  The more one can relax the mind and body the better able we will be to manage our pain. Workshops for pain management, using mindfulness meditation are within the Toronto and North York regions. If you or someone you has struggled with chronic pain then seek out a mindfulness meditation class in Toronto.