Chronic pain is common among cancer survivors but often goes untreated. Existing treatments carry risks or offer limited relief, and non-drug options have shown only modest benefits. Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE), an intervention that targets the neurocognitive mechanisms of chronic pain, has helped people without cancer but had not been tested in cancer survivors. This pilot trial enrolled 60 cancer survivors with moderate-to-severe pain (average age 60; 75% female) and randomly assigned them to one of three MORE formats (16, 8, or 2 hours) or a waitlist. MORE proved feasible, with high enrollment (71%) and assessment completion (91%), and acceptable, with high adherence and satisfaction.
For over 2500 years, Buddhism has aimed to help people liberate themselves from suffering and attain well-being. Buddhist practices in emotional management, especially meditation, mindfulness, and compassion meditation, improve concentration, calm the mind, and strengthen empathy and compassion. These practices have been widely used in clinical interventions to heal stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental distress, with their efficacy confirmed by neuroscience. This article reviews the historical origins, mechanisms, and contemporary clinical applications of these practices, highlighting their potential as integrative therapeutic tools for mental health and underscoring the need for systematic research to optimize intervention strategies across diverse populations.