Mindfulness Meditation and Placebo Modulate Distinct Neural Signatures to Reduce Pain

Facebook Mindfulness meditation, which has been used for pain management in various cultures for centuries, has long been thought to work by activating the placebo response. Now new research demonstrates that its effectiveness actually comes from engaging distinct brain mechanisms to reduce pain compared with those of the placebo response. The research, published in Biological Psychiatry (2024: S0006-3223[24]01556-7), […]

Emotional Awareness, Expression Therapy Shown to Curb Pain Severity

Facebook A randomized clinical trial’s results suggest that emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) “may be a preferred intervention for medically and psychiatrically complex patients with pain.” The study was conducted between 2019 and 2023 at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) and represents the first full-scale evaluation of EAET (JAMA Netw Open 2024;7[6]:e2415842). It […]