Intensive Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Frequency and Burden of Migraine: An Unblinded Single-Arm Trial.
Madhav Goyal, Jennifer A. Haythornthwaite, Sharat Jain, Barbara Lee Peterlin, Megha Mehrotra, David Levine, Jason D Rosenberg, Mary Minges, David A Seminowicz, Daniel E Ford
Mindfulness February 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-023-02073-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Unblinded single-cohort trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 58 |
| Population | Adults with chronic or episodic migraine |
| Intervention | Vipassana meditation |
| Duration | 10-day retreat, 12-month follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Behavioral Chronic Episodic Headache Therapy |
| Citations | 10 |
| Registration | NCT00663585 |
| Key findings | A 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat reduced average monthly migraine days by 2.7 per 28 days at 12 months. |
Abstract
Preventing migraine headaches and improving the quality of life for patients with migraine remains a challenge. We hypothesized intensive meditation training would reduce the disease burden of migraine. An unblinded trial was analyzed as a single cohort exposed to a silent 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat that included 100 hr of sitting meditation. Participants with chronic or episodic migraine were enrolled and followed for 1 year. The primary outcome was a change in mean monthly migraine days at 12 months from baseline. Secondary outcomes included headache frequency and intensity, acute medication use, work days missed, home meditation, sleep quality, general health, quality of life, migraine impact, positive and negative affect, perceived stress, mindfulness, and pain catastrophizing. Three hundred people were screened and 58 (19%) agreed to participate and enrolled in the intensive meditation training. Forty-six participants with chronic migraine (≥ 15 headaches/month of which ≥ 8 were migraines) and 12 with episodic migraine (< 15 and ≥ 4 migraines/month) attended and 45 (78%) completed the retreat. At 12 months, the average migraine frequency was reduced by 2.7 days (from 16.6 at baseline) per 28 days (95%CI - 4.3, - 1.3) and headaches by 3.4 (20.1 at baseline) per 28 days (- 4.9, - 1.9). Fifty percent responder rate was 29% for migraine. Acute medication use dropped by an average of 2.2 days (- 3.9, - 0.5) per 28 days, and participants reported 2.3 fewer days (- 4.0, - 0.5) on which they reduced their activity due to migraines. The most striking and promising effects were in several secondary outcomes, including migraine-specific quality of life, pain catastrophizing, and perceived stress. The significant improvements observed immediately following the intervention were sustained at 12 months follow-up. Training in Vipassana meditation via a 10-day retreat may reduce the frequency and burden of migraine. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00663585.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Effectiveness of Deconstructive Meditative Practices in Improving Mental Health and Well-being: A Systematic Review Mindfulness March 27, 2026
- Part Of the Process, or Adverse Event? Considering the Benefits and Potential Risks of Mindfulness-based Interventions for Migraine. Current Pain and Headache Reports September 16, 2025
- The Impact of Vipassana Meditation on Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence. Cureus September 1, 2025
Cites 11
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors August 28, 2006
- Mindfulness in migraine: A narrative review Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics January 14, 2020
- Enhanced mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR+) in episodic migraine: a randomized clinical trial with MRI outcomes Pain March 13, 2020
- Does Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Migraine Reduce Migraine-Related Disability in People with Episodic and Chronic Migraine? A Phase 2b Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain September 26, 2019
and 6 more in the library