Journal of pain research
January 1, 2025
Wolf E Mehling, Carrie E Brintz, Wendy Hartogensis et al.
4 citations
A modified mindfulness program for chronic low back pain, called Mindfulness-Based Pain Reduction (MBPR), was developed and tested in 58 patients. The curriculum added mindful interoceptive exposure to pain, pain neuroscience education, and yoga postures for low back pain. Participants attended 80% of sessions, and two-thirds of those receiving MBPR showed clinically meaningful improvements in pain intensity and interference scores (PEG scores improved >30%). The program was feasible and acceptable, warranting further testing in a randomized controlled trial.
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences
October 23, 2024
Wolf E Mehling
2 citations
Bud Craig's elegant studies established the structural neural basis for interoception and redefined pain as a homeostatic emotion, an experience based on inferential brain processes within prediction processing. This chapter reviews how Craig's work provides the background for understanding mind-body therapies—such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and Tai Chi—which are now first-line non-pharmacological approaches in clinical guidelines for chronic pain management. Craig's research highlights the key role of interoceptive processes in these therapies and has led to new directions for clinical and neuroscientific research on managing chronic pain.
PloS one
January 1, 2024
Wolf E Mehling, Irina A Strigo, Veronica Goldman et al.
A 2-minute mindful attention exercise guided by a smartphone app, repeated several times daily for 8 weeks, helped people with chronic low back pain. Pain intensity dropped from 4.8 to 3.1 on a 0-10 scale, and a combined measure of pain intensity and interference (PEG score) improved from 13.7 to 8.4. Twenty-one of 29 participants had at least a 30% improvement in PEG score. Participants reported becoming aware of their usual avoidance of pain, were surprised that pain sensations varied over time, and found that focusing on pain reduced its threat. Many described pain in 3D shapes with changing colors, temperature, and density. The approach may be a beneficial alternative to ignoring or distracting from pain.