Meditation
Meditation involves using a number of awareness techniques to help quiet the mind and relax
the body. The two most common techniques are:
• Transcendental meditation. The patient repeats a single word or phrase, called a
mantra, and is taught to allow other thoughts and feelings to pass.
• Mindfulness Meditation. The person focuses all of his or her attention on thoughts and
sensations. This form of meditation is often taught in stress-reduction programs.
Benefits of Meditation
Studies suggest that meditating can increase pain tolerance, activity levels, and self-esteem and
decrease anxiety, stress, depression, and use of pain medications.
Mindfulness meditation has been used successfully in programs to reduce pain and improve
mood in patients with chronic pain from a variety of conditions, including headache, low back
pain, chest pain, and gastrointestinal pain.
Because there are varied forms of meditation and opinions about requirements for training,
there is no formal certification or licensing process for instructors. Training requirements differ
widely by institution. If you would like to find a meditation instructor, speak to your doctor, who
may be able to recommend one.
To practice meditation, repeated meetings with the instructor may not be necessary. A recent
study examining the perception of pain and various mental training techniques has found that
relatively short and simple mindfulness meditation training can have a significant positive effect
on pain management.
Source: WebMD
Courtesy: Health Prior 21

