Migraines and meditation: does spirituality matter?
Abstract
Migraine headaches are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety (Waldie and Poulton Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 72: 86-92, 2002) and feelings of low self-efficacy (French et al. Headache, 40: 647-656, 2000). Previous research suggests that spiritual meditation may ameliorate some of the negative traits associated with migraine headaches (Wachholtz and Pargament Journal of behavioral Medicine, 30: 311-318, 2005). This study examined two primary questions: (1) Is spiritual meditation more effective in enhancing pain tolerance and reducing migraine headache related symptoms than secular meditation and relaxation? and, (2) Does spiritual meditation create better mental, physical, and spiritual health outcomes than secular meditation and relaxation techniques? Eighty-three meditation naïve, frequent migraineurs were taught Spiritual Meditation, Internally Focused Secular Meditation, Externally Focused Secular Meditation, or Muscle Relaxation which participants practiced for 20 min a day for one month. Pre-post tests measured pain tolerance (with a cold pressor task), headache frequency, and mental and spiritual health variables. Compared to the other three groups, those who practiced spiritual meditation had greater decreases in the frequency of migraine headaches, anxiety, and negative affect, as well as greater increases in pain tolerance, headache-related self-efficacy, daily spiritual experiences, and existential well being.
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Of the 67 studies with quality ratings of seven or higher on R/S and anxiety, 38 (55%) reported inverse relationships and seven (10%) found positive relationships.
“Of the 67 studies with quality ratings of seven or higher, 38 (55%) reported inverse relationships [173–182] and seven (10%) found positive relationships (greater anxiety among the more R/S) [183–189].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [176]
Of the 18 best studies, nine (50%) reported inverse relationships (less pain among the more R/S or reduced pain in response to an R/S intervention).
“Of the 18 best studies, nine (50%) reported inverse relationships (less pain among the more R/S [534] or reduced pain in response to a R/S intervention [535–542]), while three (20%) reported positive relationships (worse pain in the more R/S) [543–545].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [538]
In an early study of 382 adults with musculoskeletal complaints, R/S coping was the most common strategy for dealing with pain and was considered the second most helpful among coping behaviors.
“For example, in an early study of 382 adults with musculoskeletal complains, R/S coping was the most common strategy for dealing with pain and was considered the second most helpful in a long list of coping behaviors [531].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [531]
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References 58 · Cited by 233
- Authors
- Wachholtz, A. B., & Pargament, K. I.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wachholtz, Amy B.
- ORCID
- Wachholtz, Amy B.
- Venue
- Journal of Behavioral Medicine
- Published
- 2008-06-13
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 351-366
- ISSN
- 0160-7715 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3521
- OpenAlex
- W1974933102
- Cited by
- 233
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 49 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 9.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Behavioral Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network (American Medical Association) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24HD050959)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Migraine and Headache Studies
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Keywords
- migraine, spiritual meditation, muscle relaxation, pain tolerance, headache frequency, anxiety, negative affect, spiritual health, existential well-being, depression
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Anxiety, Depression, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Male, Migraine Disorders, Pain Measurement, Personality Inventory, Quality of Life, Relaxation Therapy, Religion and Psychology, Meditation, Self Efficacy, Spirituality, Illness Behavior, Young Adult
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