Research has found that mindfulness meditation can be effective in easing chronic pain for some sufferers. Currently, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the most widely used psychological technique for the treatment of chronic pain in the world. CBT aims to help people develop coping mechanisms for their discomfort. However, not everyone living with chronic pain finds CBT helpful.
Researchers led by biostatician Dr Wei Cheng from The Ottawa Hospital in Ontario, Canada, decided to look into mindfulness meditation as an alternative treatment. Mindfulness meditation helps promote stress relief by encouraging individuals to focus on being in the moment, paying particular attention to their thoughts and bodily sensations. The findings showed that there were no significant differences between using either CBT or mindfulness to ease chronic pain. Researchers note that both methods reduce the severity of pain as well as improving physical functioning and depression associated with chronic pain.
Source: Independent, 1 February 2019. Read the full article.