title: Pain, mindfulness, and spirituality: A randomized controlled trial comparing effects of mindfulness and relaxation on pain-related outcomes in migraineurs.
abstract: In order to examine mindfulness as an intervention for pain, 107 migraineurs, predominantly college students, were randomly assigned to brief training in standardized mindfulness, spiritualized mindfulness, and simple relaxation instructions. After 2 weeks of daily practice, participants completed the cold-pressor task while practicing their assigned technique, and their experience of the task was assessed. Among the 74 study-completers, standardized mindfulness led to significantly reduced pain-related stress relative to simple relaxation, providing modest support for the utility of mindfulness in pain management. Pain-related outcomes in the spiritualized mindfulness condition were similar to those of standardized mindfulness, though spirituality did appear to enhance mindful awareness.
authors.affiliation: Bowling Green State University, USA mfeuill@bgsu.edu.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feuille
authors.affiliation: Bowling Green State University, USA.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pargament
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012064:Relaxation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: clinical health psychology; complementary and alternative medicine; randomized controlled trial; religion; spirituality