Zen Meditation for Pain
Feb
19
Written by:
2/19/2009
A recent study at the Universite de Montreal shows that people who practice Zen meditation experience an eighteen percent reduction in pain intensity, both in an out of meditative states when compared to people who don’t meditate. The study shows that Zen meditation helps people cope with pain by altering the way they perceive pain.
In addition, slower breathing induced by meditation coincided with reduced pain. The researchers theorized that slower breathing influenced a relaxed state and reduced the emotional aspects of pain. The study reinforces the idea that meditation can help reduce or eliminate the need for pain medications, which often have untoward side effects.
Source:
Joshua Grant and Pierre Rainville, Study finds that Zen Meditation Alleviates Pain, Psychomatic Medicine, Jan 2009.