The mechanism of mindfulness meditation on pain by functional magnetic resonance imaging method
The European Research Journal April 12, 2023 Y. Yıldız, S. Kocahan, Alp Eren Çelenlioğlu et al.
Pain involves sensory, cognitive, and emotional brain regions including the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, prefrontal cortex, and default mode network. Depression and anxiety can worsen pain through cognitive and affective disturbances. Mindfulness meditation, described as non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, focuses on bodily sensations and breathing in an accepting manner. This review compiles studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine how mindfulness meditation affects pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and accompanying depression and anxiety.