Effects of Savoring Meditation on Positive Emotions and Pain-Related Brain Function: A Mechanistic Randomized Controlled Trial in People With Rheumatoid Arthritis.
The journal of pain July 1, 2024 Patrick H Finan, Carly Hunt, Michael L Keaser et al. 18 citations
A pilot mechanistic randomized controlled trial tested a positive emotion-enhancing intervention called Savoring Meditation against a Slow Breathing control in 44 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Savoring significantly reduced experimental pain intensity ratings relative to rest and increased cerebral blood flow in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, as well as connectivity between that region and the caudate during painful stimulation. Participants in the Savoring condition also reported significantly increased positive emotions and reduced anhedonic symptoms from pre- to post-intervention. The findings suggest that Savoring recruits reward-enhancing corticostriatal circuits in the face of pain, warranting future work on clinical pain outcomes.