Zen Meditation To Subdue Pain

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Zen meditation proven to subdue pain according to Universite de Montreal researchers.

The centuries old meditation practice renders physical, mental and emotional balance to the practitioners. A Psychosomatic Medicine study has suggested that Zen meditators were prone to have lower pain sensitivity both while in meditation and out of the meditative state when compared to non-meditators. The main objective of the study was to determine whether trained practitioners of meditation perceived pain in a different way.

The research was carried on on 13 Zen meditation practitioners with a minimum of 1,000 hours of practice and 13 non meditators. The participants included 10 women and 16 men between the age group of 22 to 56.

The pain test consisted of pressing a computer controlled heating plate, a thermal heat source against the calves of the participants intermittently at varying temperatures. The level of heat began with 43 degree Celsius going up to a maximum of 53 degree celsius depending on the sensitivity of the participant. While the Zen meditators could tolerate the maximum temperature than the non meditators, both the participators could not reach up to the maximum heat level of 53 degree Celsius.

The study proved that the Zen meditators had lower pain sensitivity when compared to the non meditators even while tested out of the meditative state. The level of sensitivity to pain was further reduced in the meditative state through lower breathing which constituted 12 breaths per minute while the non meditators had a average breaths of 15 per minute.

Pierre Rainville, a professor and researcher at the Universite de Montreal and Joshua A. Grant, a doctoral student in the Department of Physiology, co-authored the research proof in paper.

"While previous studies have shown that teaching chronic pain patients to meditate is beneficial, very few studies have looked at pain processing in healthy, highly trained meditators. This study was a first step in determining how or why meditation might influence pain perception," says Grant.

"Slower breathing certainly coincided with reduced pain and may influence pain by keeping the body in a relaxed state. While previous studies have found that the emotional aspects of pain are influenced by meditation, we found that the sensation itself, as well as the emotional response, is different in meditators," Grant said.

The final result had the Zen meditators experience a reduction of 18 percent in the intensity of pain AGENCIES