Psychosomatic medicine
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Psychosomatic medicine · Jul 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialThe role of expectations and endogenous opioids in mindfulness-based relief of experimentally-induced acute pain.
Expectations contribute to cognitive pain modulation through opioidergically mediated descending inhibition. Mindfulness meditation reduces pain independent of endogenous opioids, engaging unique corticothalamocortical mechanisms. However, it remains unknown whether expectations for pain relief predict mindfulness-induced analgesia and if these expectations are modified by endogenous opioids. ⋯ These novel findings demonstrate a significant role for expectations in mindfulness-based pain relief. However, this role was minimal during saline and stronger during opioid blockade, despite similar pain reductions. This supports growing evidence that mindfulness engages multiple mechanisms to reduce pain, suggesting that mindfulness might be an effective pain-reducing technique even for individuals with low expectations for pain relief.