Mechanisms of mindfulness in patients with migraine: Results of a qualitative study.
Paige M Estave, Caitlyn Margol, Summerlyn Beeghly, Reid Anderson, Mariam Shakir, Alexandra Coffield, Julia Byrnes, Nathaniel O'Connell, Elizabeth K. Seng, Paula Gardiner, Rebecca Erwin Wells
Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain March 2023 DOI: 10.1111/head.14481 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Adults with migraine who participated in two mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) clinical trials |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Headache Mechanisms Migraine Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Key findings | Participants reported that learning MBSR altered their pain and migraine perception, increased stress-body and interoceptive awareness leading to earlier attack recognition and treatment, and reduced interictal factors such as fear of migraine, pain catastrophizing, and anticipatory anxiety. The authors propose a conceptual model in which MBSR skills lead to an infusion of mindfulness in daily life, altering pain perception and improving overall well-being, possibly moderated by group setting benefits. |
Abstract
To understand the mechanisms of mindfulness' impact on migraine. Promising mindfulness research demonstrates potential benefit in migraine, but no data-driven model exists from the lived experiences of patients that explains the mechanisms of mindfulness in migraine. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with adults with migraine who participated in two mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) clinical trials (n = 43). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and summarized into a framework matrix with development of a master codebook. Constructivist grounded theory approach was used to identify themes/subthemes. Participants who learned mindfulness techniques through MBSR experienced altered pain perception, altered response to migraine attacks and disease, increased awareness of external and internal experiences, improved overall well-being, and group benefits. Mindfulness resulted in earlier stress-body awareness and increased interoceptive awareness resulting in earlier attack recognition, leading to earlier and more effective management. Interictal factors of self-blame, guilt, and stigma decreased while migraine acceptance, hope, empowerment, self-efficacy, and self-compassion increased. Improved emotion regulation resulted in decreased fear of migraine, pain catastrophizing, anticipatory anxiety, and pain reactivity. Although taught as prevention, mindfulness was used both acutely and prophylactically. We created a conceptual model hypothesizing that MBSR skills led to an infusion of mindfulness in daily life, resulting in altered pain perception and experience, ultimately leading to improvement in overall well-being, which may positively feed back to the infusion of mindfulness in daily life. The therapeutic benefit of learning mindfulness in a group setting may moderate these effects. This study identified several new potential mechanisms of mindfulness' effect on migraine. After learning MBSR skills, participants reported altered pain and migraine perception and experiences. Increased stress-body and interoceptive awareness resulted in earlier migraine awareness and treatment. Mindfulness may target important interictal factors that affect disease burden such as fear of migraine, pain catastrophizing, and anticipatory anxiety. This is the first data-driven study to help elucidate the mechanisms of mindfulness on migraine from patient voices and can help direct future research endeavors.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on quality of life of breast cancer patient: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2024
- Change starts with the body: Interoceptive appreciation mediates the effect of mindfulness training on behavior change - an effect moderated by depression severity. Psychiatry Research December 1, 2024
- “Pain doesn’t control my life, I control it” – a qualitative investigation of the experiences of individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain participating in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program Disability and Rehabilitation August 26, 2026
- Mindfulness-Based Orofacial Pain Education and Management Program: A Qualitative Analysis of Transgender Participants' Perceptions. Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry 2026
- Randomized controlled trial of neurofeedback mindfulness meditation as a practice for migraine management. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience December 1, 2025
and 2 more in the library
Cites 23
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- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Body Awareness: a phenomenological inquiry into the common ground of mind-body therapies Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 2011
- Mindfulness in migraine: A narrative review Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics January 14, 2020
and 18 more in the library