The role of endogenous opioids in mindfulness and sham mindfulness-meditation for the direct alleviation of evoked chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology June 1, 2024 Lora Khatib, Jon G Dean, Valeria Oliva et al. 9 citations
Mindfulness meditation directly reduces evoked chronic low back pain through non-opioidergic processes, not by activating the body's opioid system. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a drug crossover design, 59 individuals with chronic low back pain completed a four-session mindfulness or sham mindfulness-meditation intervention. During intravenous naloxone (an opioid blocker) or saline infusion, both mindfulness and sham mindfulness groups showed significant pain reductions during meditation compared to rest. However, the mindfulness group reported significantly lower pain than the sham group, and its effects were more pronounced, suggesting unique benefits from non-reactive appraisal processes. Pain severity and interference scores also decreased.