Pilot study of a compassion meditation intervention in chronic pain
Journal of Compassionate Health Care October 8, 2014 Heather L Chapin, Beth D Darnall, Emma M Seppala et al. 58 citations
A pilot clinical trial tested a 9-week group compassion cultivation intervention for chronic pain patients. Twelve predominantly female patients completed the program. Compared to their own baseline, patients reported significantly lower pain severity and anger, and higher pain acceptance after treatment. Reports from significant others corroborated the reductions in pain severity and anger. The findings suggest compassion meditation may be a useful adjunctive treatment for chronic pain, reducing pain and anger while increasing acceptance. The corroboration by significant others provides novel evidence of observable emotional and behavioral changes following the intervention.