An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: theoretical considerations and preliminary results.
J Kabat-Zinn
General Hospital Psychiatry April 1, 1982 DOI: 10.1016/0163-8343(82)90026-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Uncontrolled clinical study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 51 |
| Population | Chronic pain patients who had not improved with traditional medical care; dominant pain categories were low back, neck and shoulder, and headache, with facial pain, angina pectoris, noncoronary chest pain, and GI pain also represented |
| Interventions | Mindfulness meditation Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program |
| Duration | 10-week program, with follow-up |
| Measures | Pain Rating Index (Melzack) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Chronic disease Yoga Follow-up studies Emotions Affect Attention Proprioception Adult Middle aged Female Relaxation therapy Pain management |
| Key points | Among 51 chronic pain patients, 65% showed a reduction of at least 33% and 50% a reduction of at least 50% in the mean total Pain Rating Index (Melzack) at 10 weeks, with similar decreases on other pain indices and in reported medical symptoms, plus large reductions in mood disturbance and psychiatric symptomatology that were relatively stable at follow-up. The authors conclude this meditation can form the basis of an effective behavioral self-regulation program for chronic pain, while noting the study was uncontrolled. |
Abstract
The practice of mindfulness meditation was used in a 10-week Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program to train chronic pain patients in self-regulation. The meditation facilitates an attentional stance towards proprioception known as detached observation. This appears to cause an "uncoupling " of the sensory dimension of the pain experience from the affective/evaluative alarm reaction and reduce the experience of suffering via cognitive reappraisal. Data are presented on 51 chronic pain patients who had not improved with traditional medical care. The dominant pain categories were low back, neck and shoulder, and headache. Facial pain, angina pectoris, noncoronary chest pain, and GI pain were also represented. At 10 weeks, 65% of the patients showed a reduction of greater than or equal to 33% in the mean total Pain Rating Index (Melzack) and 50% showed a reduction of greater than or equal to 50%. Similar decreases were recorded on other pain indices and in the number of medical symptoms reported. Large and significant reductions in mood disturbance and psychiatric symptomatology accompanied these changes and were relatively stable on follow-up. These improvements were independent of the pain category. We conclude that this form of meditation can be used as the basis for an effective behavioral program in self-regulation for chronic pain patients. Key features of the program structure, and the limitations of the present uncontrolled study are discussed.
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 1,154
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
and 1,149 more in the library