title: Loving-kindness meditation for chronic low back pain: results from a pilot trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion. This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (N = 43) were randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care. Standardized measures assessed patients' pain, anger, and psychological distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Post and follow-up analyses showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress in the loving-kindness group, but no changes in the usual care group. Multilevel analyses of daily data showed that more loving-kindness practice on a given day was related to lower pain that day and lower anger the next day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary results suggest that the loving-kindness program can be beneficial in reducing pain, anger, and psychological distress in patients with persistent low back pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians may find loving-kindness meditation helpful in the treatment of patients with persistent pain.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Carson
authors.forename: Francis J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Keefe
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Kimberly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Carson
authors.forename: Veeraindar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Goli
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fras
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Thorp
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000786:Anger; D001294:Attitude to Health; D018939:Holistic Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors