The Transcendental Meditation Technique and Acute Experimental Pain

Abstract

The Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique decreases the distress associated with the experience of acute experimental pain. Fifteen advanced mediators and 15 controls were administered the cold pressor test before and after a 20 minute period of meditation (TM group) or relaxation (control group). Verbal reports of the intensity of pain sensation and pain distress were obtained at intervals during the cold pressor trials. Skin resistance and heart rate were measured throughout. The mean distress level for the TM group was significantly lower than controls during both trials; the mean pain sensation level for the TM group did not differ significantly from controls during either trial. Heart rate and skin resistant changed for both groups in the expected manner, with no significant differences between groups. The validity, implications, and possible causes of these results are discussed.

Neuroimaging of meditation's effect on brain reactivity to pain

“…It, however, accords with previous research on the Transcendental Meditation technique showing that practitioners' sensory experience of pain is just as intense as controls, but that they are less distressed by it [18].…”

“…In addition, it seems unlikely that the results can be explained by expectation because there is no suggestion in the Transcendental Meditation course that it would reduce pain. It also seems unlikely that the reduction in the total cerebral blood flow response could be attributed to a reduction in general cardiovascular response to pain [6], because previous research has shown that meditators do not show less of the heart rate response to noxious stimuli than controls [18]. We suggest that the reduced total brain response to pain can also be attributed to a general reduction in expectation anxiety and distress.…”

“…The Transcendental Meditation program appears to longitudinally reduce the brain's response to acute pain along major sectors of the affective dimension of the pain matrix, apparently related to reduced distress, but with no reduction in the sensory experience of pain intensity [18]. This may help explain the reduction in stress reactivity and improvements in cardiovascular disease found to result from practice of this program.…”

“…In time, it reduces trait anxiety [17], improves stress reactivity [12], and decreases distress from acute pain [18]. On the basis of the literature [1,2], these factors could be expected to reduce the response of the affective component of the pain matrix to acute pain, seen as reductions in the anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and thalamus.…”

“…Evidence for mechanism 3 is that the Transcendental Meditation technique reduces trait anxiety [17], produces lower resting baseline levels of sympathetic arousal outside the practice as well as improving stress reactivity [12]. Mechanism 4 is suggested by the finding that it decreases distress from acute pain caused by the cold-pressor test and increases the ability to withstand the test longer, but does not change sensory ratings of pain intensity [18]. This implies that the practice may impact the affective/ motivational dimension of pain more than the sensory dimension.…”