New research: Using memories to rewire pain

What if there was a way to train your mind to not only cope with pain but actually reduce its intensity?

A recent study published in the Journal of Pain offers promising insights into how Savoring Meditation, a mindfulness practice that cultivates positive emotions by intentionally shifting your focus to sensory details that bring you joy, can significantly change how your body processes pain.

The technique involves fully immersing your attention in pleasant sensations, using them as a training ground to cultivate positive emotions and emotional resilience.

The Study: Savoring Meditation vs. Slow Breathing

The study focused on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory condition causing pain and stiffness in the joints. Researchers compared the effects of Savoring Meditation to Slow Breathing, a commonly used relaxation technique.

• Savoring Meditation: Participants were trained to recall positive memories and intentionally focus on the pleasant feelings and sensations associated with them.
• Slow Breathing: This control group practiced controlled, deep breathing exercises without focusing on emotions.

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The Results: More Than Just Relaxation

The findings were remarkable. Compared to the Slow Breathing group, those practicing Savoring Meditation reported:

• Reduced Pain Intensity and Unpleasantness: When exposed to thermal pain stimuli, the Savoring Meditation group experienced significantly lower pain levels.
• Enhanced Positive Emotions: Participants reported feeling happier and more optimistic after the intervention.
• Decreased Anhedonia: Symptoms of anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure, lessened in the Savoring Meditation group.

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Brain Activity: Rewiring the Pain Response

Brain scans revealed fascinating changes happening within the Savoring Meditation group.

• Increased Activity in the vmPFC: The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is a brain region associated with processing rewards and positive emotions. This area showed increased activity during Savoring Meditation.
• Enhanced Connectivity: The study also observed stronger connections between the vmPFC and the caudate nucleus, a part of the brain involved in reward processing and motivation.

These findings suggest that Savoring Meditation doesn't just provide temporary relaxation. Instead, it may be rewiring the brain's pain response. By deliberately training our attention to activate the reward centers, Savoring Meditation strengthens the natural pathways associated with pleasure and positive emotions. This strengthened network may then activate natural pain relief pathways, leading to a reduced pain intensity.

Beyond RA: A New Approach to Chronic Pain Management

This study highlights the exciting possibilities of using mindfulness practices to not only manage wellbeing more generally, but potentially to change the way our brains process pain.