To evaluate the impact of providing a loving-kindness meditation (LKM) intervention vs. a music intervention during core-needle breast biopsy (CNBB) on adherence to subsequent, clinically recommended breast cancer screening and surveillance. Women (N = 120) were randomly assigned to receive LKM, Music, or Usual Care during CNBB. Patients in the LKM or Music groups listened to audio recordings...
Findings suggest that cognitive therapy (CT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and behavior therapy (BT) for chronic pain produce improvements through changes in putative mechanisms. Evidence supporting this notion is largely based on findings showing significant associations between treatment mechanism variables and outcomes. An alternative view is that treatments may work by...
Journal of Pain Research2025Martha O Kenney, Alexander T Limkakeng, Timothy N Ochoa et al.1 citation
Vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) are the primary cause of acute pain in individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), where high-dose opioids are the current standard treatment. Ketamine, a non-opioid analgesic, holds potential for managing acute SCD due to its opioid-sparing properties. This study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators to an inpatient clinical trial of ketamine infusion for...
Mindfulness is theorized to decrease the affective amplification of chronic pain by facilitating a shift from emotionally-laden, catastrophic pain appraisals of nociceptive input to reappraising chronic pain as an innocuous sensory signal that does not signify harm. Understanding of these hypothetical psychological mechanisms of mindfulness-based analgesia has been limited by a lack of direct...
To evaluate the impact of guided meditation and music interventions on patient anxiety, pain, and fatigue during imaging-guided breast biopsy. After giving informed consent, 121 women needing percutaneous imaging-guided breast biopsy were randomized into three groups: (1) guided meditation; (2) music; (3) standard-care control group. During biopsy, the meditation and music groups listened to an...
Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion. This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients. Patients (N = 43) were randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care. Standardized measures assessed patients' pain, anger, and psychological distress. Post and...