Can meditation therapy assist with the reduction of pain? Science points to yes!
Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., an assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist is probing meditations effects and capabilities. In an article published in the spring by NeuroScientistNews, Dr. Zeidan’s research was explained:
“In his research Zeidan has demonstrated that as little as three 20-minute training sessions in mindfulness meditation can reduce pain and everyday anxiety in healthy individuals with no previous meditation experience. And through the use of a special type of imaging that captures longer-duration brain processes more effectively than a standard MRI scan, he has identified the specific brain mechanisms involved.
In Zeidan’s pain study, participants graded the pain caused by a device that heated a small area of their skin to 120 degrees. They rated the pain they felt while they meditated as 40 percent less intense and 57 percent less unpleasant than when they simply rested with their eyes closed. At the same time, the brain imaging showed decreased neural activity in the area of the brain involved in feeling the location and intensity of pain and increased activity in brain regions associated with attention and the ability to regulate emotions.
In the anxiety-related research, the subjects reported decreases in everyday anxiety of as much as 39 percent after practicing meditation. The scans of their brains while they meditated, meanwhile, showed increased activity in areas of the cortex associated with regulating thinking, emotions and worrying.”
To read the full article, click here.
To read more about Dr. Zeidan’s research at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, click here.
