Cited by 78Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPain Management and Placebo EffectPain Mechanisms and Treatments

Meditative analgesia: the current state of the field

Grant, Joshua A.·2014·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Since the first demonstrations that mindfulness‐based therapies could have a positive influence on chronic pain patients, numerous studies have been conducted with healthy individuals in an attempt to understand meditative analgesia. This review focuses explicitly on experimental pain studies of meditation and attempts to draw preliminary conclusions based on the work completed in this new field over the past 6 years. Dividing meditative practices into the broad categories of focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) techniques allowed several patterns to emerge. The majority of evidence for FA practices suggests they are not particularly effective in reducing pain. OM, on the other hand, seems to influence both sensory and affective pain ratings depending on the tradition or on whether the practitioners were meditating. The neural pattern underlying pain modulation during OM suggests meditators actively focus on the noxious stimulation while inhibiting other mental processes, consistent with descriptions of mindfulness. A preliminary model is presented for explaining the influence of mindfulness practice on pain. Finally, the potential analgesic effect of the currently unexplored technique of compassion meditation is discussed.

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Crossref · 10.1111/nyas.12282

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  • Buddhist-derived meditation practices inform treatment programs such as mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), which are being applied towards the alleviation of a wide range of ailments, including stress, addiction, chronic pain, mood disorders, psychiatric disorders, and medical conditions.

    “Buddhist-derived meditation practices inform treatment programs such as “mindfulness-based interventions” (MBIs), which are being applied towards the alleviation of a wide range of ailments, including stress [2], addiction [3], chronic pain [4], mood disorders [5], psychiatric disorders [6], and medical conditions [7].”

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Authors
Grant, J. A.
Affiliations
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (DE)
Corresponding author
Grant, Joshua A.
Venue
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2013-11-08
Volume
1307
Issue
1
Pages
55-63
ISSN
  • 0077-8923 (ISSN-L)
  • 1749-6632
OpenAlex
W1519724488
Cited by
78
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 7
FWCI
1.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
Keywords
mindfulness, meditation, focused attention meditation, open monitoring meditation, experimental pain, pain modulation, sensory pain, affective pain, compassion meditation, neural mechanisms of pain
MeSH terms
Analgesia, Attention, Brain, Brain Mapping, Buddhism, Cognition, Empathy, Humans, Pain, Pain Measurement, Meditation, Pain Management, Mindfulness

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