A new study reveals one of the mechanisms through which meditation acts as a painkiller, or as a way of reducing the intensity with which people perceive pain. The work shows that pain processing patterns are modified even after brief sessions of meditation.
Test subjects who were analyzed during the new experiments showed that after only four days of meditation sessions, the human brain becomes capable of altering its own response to pain.
All that participants had to do is practice a mindful awareness of their bodies and consciousnesses, the team behind the research says. They made a presentation of the study at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, which was held in
One of the thing that puzzled the scientists about practitioners' brain was that measurements revealed lower levels of activity in regions of the cortex that are regularly involved in relaying sensory information.
Additionally, the brain regions that control the painful part of the body are less activated as well. What goes into overdrive are the areas that are involved in modulating pain. As such, test subjects told scientists that they experience less intense pain, and that the feeling was not all that unpleasant.
The new conclusions add to previous studies, which revealed that practicing meditation can reduce anxiety levels, make people more relaxed and that it also aids in regulating individual emotions. As far as pain goes, meditation simply makes the feeling less distressing.
“It's really all about the context of the situation, of the environment. Meditation seems to have an overarching sense of attenuating that type of response,” says scientist Fadel Zeidan, quoted by LiveScience.
The expert holds an appointment as a post-doctoral researcher at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and is also the author of a new paper detailing the findings, which was presented at the conference.
During the experiments, participants were asked to practice what is known as mindfulness meditation. This means that they simply sat down comfortably, thought about the present, and cleared their minds, all while breathing at a steady rhythm.
“The preliminary results are very interesting and promising. You don't necessarily need to be a monk to experience some of the benefits related to meditation,” Zeidan explains.
In another study the researcher and his group conducted, published in the March issue of the esteemed Journal of Pain, Zeidan reported that as little as 30 minutes of meditation per day for three days can lead to a significant reduction in the pain response of test subjects.
The correlation held even if the participants weren't actually meditating, but rather just sat there quietly, relaxing.
Additionally, the brain regions that control the painful part of the body are less activated as well. What goes into overdrive are the areas that are involved in modulating pain. As such, test subjects told scientists that they experience less intense pain, and that the feeling was not all that unpleasant.
The new conclusions add to previous studies, which revealed that practicing meditation can reduce anxiety levels, make people more relaxed and that it also aids in regulating individual emotions. As far as pain goes, meditation simply makes the feeling less distressing.
“It's really all about the context of the situation, of the environment. Meditation seems to have an overarching sense of attenuating that type of response,” says scientist Fadel Zeidan, quoted by LiveScience.
The expert holds an appointment as a post-doctoral researcher at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and is also the author of a new paper detailing the findings, which was presented at the conference.
During the experiments, participants were asked to practice what is known as mindfulness meditation. This means that they simply sat down comfortably, thought about the present, and cleared their minds, all while breathing at a steady rhythm.
“The preliminary results are very interesting and promising. You don't necessarily need to be a monk to experience some of the benefits related to meditation,” Zeidan explains.
In another study the researcher and his group conducted, published in the March issue of the esteemed Journal of Pain, Zeidan reported that as little as 30 minutes of meditation per day for three days can lead to a significant reduction in the pain response of test subjects.
The correlation held even if the participants weren't actually meditating, but rather just sat there quietly, relaxing.
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