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Mindfulness Modulates Pain

"Brain Mechanisms Supporting the Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness" The Journal of Neuroscience, April 6, 2011

Images of Mindfulness effect on Pain






Mindfulness reduces the Experience of Pain

The Journal of Neuroscience has just published research which gives evidence the practice of mindfulness meditation can help to reduce the experience of pain. For centuries those practicing meditation have claimed that the nonevaluative representation of sensory events such as pain, influenced the very experience itself. The current study claims that 4 days of mindfulness meditation training reduced "pain unpleasantness by 57%" of "the noxious stimulation" and the "pain intensity ratings" were reduced by 40%. The study noted that meditation reduced the activation of the "contralateral primary somatosensory cortex" which affects one's pain related experience.

Mindfulness affects Multiple Brain Mechanisms

The effect of Meditation in pain intensity ratings were associated with greater activity in the "anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula" that influence our "cognitive regulation of nociceptive processing". The resultant reductions in the experience of pain were associated with orbitofrontal cortex activation. This area of the brain influences one's contextual evaluation of sensory events. Such reductions in pain were also associated with "thalamic deactivation, which may reflect a limbic gating mechanism" that modifies interactions with the "executive-order brain areas". All of these observation associated with the practice of mindfulness meditation, suggest that meditation affects multiple brain mechanisms that alter the subjective experience of pain.

Mindfulness Programs at 'Yoga Center' Madrid, 'Yoga Sananda' Vigo and Hotel Spa Balneario****

I would like to remind my readers that we offer regular meditation classes, meditation instructor courses, mindfulness for stress reduction courses and mindfulness based psychotherapy in our 'Yoga Center' Madrid and 'Yoga Sananda' Vigo as well as our summer intensives offered at the Hotel Spa Balneario**** in Mondariz-Balneario in August.


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