[Interventions based on mindfulness for the elderly chronic pain: review of the literature].
Geriatrie et psychologie neuropsychiatrie du vieillissement June 1, 2015 Emmanuelle Decker, Pierre Philippot, Marion Bourgey-Trouillet et al.
Chronic pain in older adults involves a shift from an alarm signal to a disease state, reshaping brain inhibition and allowing psychological factors to dominate pain modulation. Current treatments have limitations, and this article discusses mindfulness therapy as a novel non-pharmacological intervention. Mindfulness targets two transdiagnostic mental processes—avoidance and self-centered ruminations—that drive emotional dysregulation in chronic pain. Although mindfulness benefits psychological symptoms in adults, studies in elderly populations are lacking. The authors propose research to test whether mindfulness improves elders' coping and reduces chronic pain disturbances.