A 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat with 100 hours of sitting meditation reduced migraine burden. Among 58 participants with chronic or episodic migraine, average monthly migraine days dropped by 2.7 (from 16.6) per 28 days at 12 months, and headaches decreased by 3.4 (from 20.1) per 28 days. Acute medication use fell by 2.2 days per 28 days, and activity-limited days decreased by 2.3. Improvements in migraine-specific quality of life, pain catastrophizing, and perceived stress were sustained at one year. The findings suggest intensive meditation training may reduce migraine frequency and burden.
A secondary analysis of a clinical trial compared a 12-week enhanced mindfulness-based stress reduction course (MBSR+) to stress management for headache in 98 migraine patients. Greater pre-treatment functional connectivity between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and right nucleus accumbens predicted more meditation practice during MBSR+ and larger reductions in headache frequency. Participants who meditated more showed increased mindfulness and reduced helplessness related to pain, but not improvements in headache frequency, severity, or impact. Increased mindfulness mediated reductions in headache impact but not frequency. The findings suggest mesocorticolimbic system function relates to motivated behavior, and motivation-enhancing interventions might boost meditation engagement.