An 8-week mindfulness-based intervention improved sensory, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects of chronic pain related to temporomandibular disorder (TMD) in women. Compared with a no-treatment control group, the intervention group showed positive changes in number of pain points, pain pressure threshold, stress, catastrophic thoughts, and several facets of mindfulness (observe, distract, non-react, and overall mindfulness levels). The trial suggests that mindfulness contributes to pain management by regulating psychological factors associated with TMD-related pain.
Combining mind-body therapies (MBTs) such as meditation, biofeedback, and hypnosis with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may produce synergistic effects by leveraging both mental techniques and brain stimulation to enhance neuroplasticity. A review of ten randomized clinical trials (total 461 participants) found that most combined protocols used meditation or mindfulness (8 of 10 studies), with one each for biofeedback and hypnosis. The trials varied widely in populations, designs, and outcomes. The authors provide methodological insights and future directions to help develop improved protocols for this emerging field.