Part Of the Process, or Adverse Event? Considering the Benefits and Potential Risks of Mindfulness-based Interventions for Migraine.
Toby Dresdner, Elizabeth K. Seng
Current Pain and Headache Reports September 16, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s11916-025-01415-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Headache Mechanism Stress |
| Key findings | There is little published information on adverse events in mindfulness-based interventions for migraine, and patients with migraine may be at elevated risk of experiencing such events. |
Abstract
This goal of this paper is to identify the need to report adverse events (AEs) in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for migraine and highlight conceptual issues related to their reporting. This paper reviews the benefits and AEs in MBIs broadly and considers their application to a migraine population. Due to a lack of standardized protocol for measuring and reporting, there is little published information on AEs in MBIs for migraine. Several recent trials have reported individual cases of AEs, including one instance of posttraumatic re-experiencing. The increasing popularity of MBIs in the treatment of chronic pain conditions, including migraine, makes it necessary for providers to understand which AEs occur. Patients with migraine may be at an elevated risk of experiencing AEs in MBIs.