The Clinical Journal of Pain
February 1, 2024
Myrella Paschali, Asimina Lazaridou, Jason Sadora et al.
25 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials and other studies found that mindfulness-based interventions (such as mindfulness meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and acceptance and commitment therapy) have a large beneficial effect on reducing pain intensity in adults with chronic low back pain. The authors caution that findings should be interpreted carefully due to high variability in study methods, small sample sizes, inclusion of studies with high risk of bias, and reliance on pre-post treatment differences without assessing long-term maintenance. More large-scale randomized trials are needed for reliable effect estimates.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
July 1, 2026
Michael Yufeng Wang, M Prabhavi N Perera, Paul B. Fitzgerald et al.
A meta-analysis of 44 studies found that mindfulness-based interventions for chronic pain have a pooled attrition rate of 30.1%, with substantial variation across programs. Attrition was higher when programs required more sessions for completion (49.7% for >6 sessions vs. 18.0% for 3–4 sessions), when delivered online (51.0%) versus in person (25.6%), and in individual versus group formats. The authors suggest that program structure should be optimized to improve retention.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
November 1, 2025
Perianen Ramasawmy, Andrea Antal, Olga L Gamboa Arana et al.
A 4-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) improved emotion regulation in people with fibromyalgia, and those who responded clinically to the MBI showed better emotion regulation for six weeks. Adding anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the primary motor cortex during mindfulness meditation eliminated this improvement. In the sham tDCS group, responders to the combined intervention reported larger gains in emotion regulation than nonresponders, but no such difference appeared in the active tDCS group. The authors conclude that combining mindfulness meditation with M1-tDCS should be reconsidered as a therapy for emotion regulation in fibromyalgia.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
October 1, 2020
Melissa A. Day, L. Charles Ward, Beverly E. Thorn et al.
In a pilot randomized controlled trial, cognitive therapy, mindfulness meditation, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for chronic low back pain all produced large changes in pain control beliefs, mindful observing, and pain catastrophizing. Changes in pain control beliefs and pain catastrophizing were significantly associated with reduced pain interference but not pain intensity across all three treatments. Therapeutic alliance was significantly associated with pain intensity improvement and with changes in the therapy-specific mechanisms. Mindful observing, group cohesion, and at-home practice were not significantly associated with outcome changes. The authors propose that change in perceived pain control and pain catastrophizing may be shared "meta-mechanisms" across treatments, and that strong working alliance may be a critical therapeutic process.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
July 1, 2018
Biyanka Komandur, Paul R. Martin, Siavash Bandarian-Balooch
In a sample of 217 adults with self-reported chronic headache or migraine, higher mindfulness was associated with lower negative affect, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, pain hypervigilance, and headache duration, but not with headache pain intensity or frequency. Mindfulness remained a significant predictor of negative affect and pain hypervigilance even after accounting for other factors. The findings suggest that mindfulness may play a role in the Fear-Avoidance Model of chronic pain for this population.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
November 1, 2017
Danielle A. Ruskin, Michelle M. Gagnon, Sara A. Kohut et al.
An 8-week mindfulness-based intervention adapted for adolescents (MBI-A) with chronic pain was feasible and well-received in a tertiary care clinic. Of 42 eligible patients, 21 participated; 90.5% completed treatment, and 77% reported between-session mindfulness practice. All participants would recommend the group. Pain acceptance improved from baseline to 3-month follow-up on Pain Willingness and Activity Engagement. Session data indicated improved body awareness and ability to cope with stress. The study supports further investigation via randomized controlled trials.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
February 1, 2017
Elizabeth A. Thomas, Eric L Garland
Among 115 chronic pain patients on long-term opioid therapy, higher dispositional mindfulness was linked to greater hedonic capacity—the ability to experience pleasure—and less pain-related interference in daily life. Hedonic capacity partly explained the connection between mindfulness and pain interference. The results suggest that boosting mindfulness might help reduce pain-related impairment by improving the capacity for pleasure.