Enhancing Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Management: A Systematic Review of Mindfulness Therapies and Guided Imagery Interventions.
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) April 23, 2024 Beatriz Manarte Pinto, Isaura Tavares, Daniel Humberto Pozza 6 citations
A systematic review of 26 randomized controlled trials found that mindfulness-based therapies and guided imagery (GI) can help manage chronic non-cancer pain. Mindfulness techniques significantly reduced pain intensity in six trials and improved non-sensory dimensions of pain (such as emotional distress) in ten trials. GI produced significant pain reduction in three trials and improved non-sensory outcomes in two trials. Four mindfulness trials reported significant reductions in opioid consumption, while one GI trial found a small effect. The review highlights Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) as a particularly promising approach for improving interoception. Most studies had moderate to high risk of bias.