Meditation and pain
Reduction of pain through meditation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meditation and pain is the study of the physiological mechanisms underlying meditation—specifically its neural components—that implicate it in the reduction of pain perception.[1]
Meditation is a behavioral method that has been used for several thousand years to monitor and regulate emotion and attention.[2] Broadly speaking, meditation can be categorized into one of four modes (formal practices): focused attention, open monitoring, and compassion or love-kindness practices.[2] In addition, there are sub-variations of each of the aforementioned practices that exist, such as prayer and zen.[2][1]
Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience that points to possible or actual tissue damage.[3] The mechanisms underlying pain have been studied in order to develop methods to alleviate chronic pain.[3] Research on meditation has shown that it involves specific brain regions that reduce overall pain perception.[1]