Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mindfulness Meditation for Fibromyalgia: Mechanistic and Clinical Considerations

  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine (S Kolasinski, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Rheumatology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread pain and a spectrum of psychological comorbidities, rendering treatment difficult and often a financial burden. Fibromyalgia is a complicated chronic pain condition that requires a multimodal therapeutic approach to optimize treatment efficacy. Thus, it has been postulated that mind-body techniques may prove fruitful in treating fibromyalgia. Mindfulness meditation, a behavioral technique premised on non-reactive sensory awareness, attenuates pain and improves mental health outcomes. However, the impact of mindfulness meditation on fibromyalgia-related outcomes has not been comprehensively characterized. The present review delineates the existing evidence supporting the effectiveness and hypothesized mechanisms of mindfulness meditation in treating fibromyalgia-related outcomes.

Recent Findings

Mindfulness-based interventions premised on cultivating acceptance, non-attachment, and social engagement may be most effective in decreasing fibromyalgia-related pain and psychological symptoms. Mindfulness-based therapies may alleviate fibromyalgia-related outcomes through multiple neural, psychological, and physiological processes.

Summary

Mindfulness meditation may provide an effective complementary treatment approach for fibromyalgia patients, especially when combined with other reliable techniques (exercise; cognitive behavioral therapy). However, characterizing the specific analgesic mechanisms supporting mindfulness meditation is a critical step to fostering the clinical validity of this technique. Identification of the specific analgesic mechanisms supporting mindfulness-based pain relief could be utilized to better design behavioral interventions to specifically target fibromyalgia-related outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

  1. Helmick CG, Felson DT, Lawrence RC, et al. Estimates of the prevalence of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the United States. Part I. Arthritis Rheum. 2008;58(1):15–25. doi:10.1002/art.23177.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Wolfe F, Ross K, Anderson J, et al. The prevalence and characteristics of fibromyalgia in the general population. Arthritis Rheum. 1995;38(1):19–28.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Wolfe F, Clauw DJ, Fitzcharles MA, et al. The American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and measurement of symptom severity. Arthritis care & research. 2010;62(5):600–10. doi:10.1002/acr.20140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Clauw DJ. Fibromyalgia: a clinical review. JAMA. 2014;311(15):1547–55. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.3266.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Lauche R, Cramer H, Dobos G, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of mindfulness-based stress reduction for the fibromyalgia syndrome. J Psychosom Res. 2013;75(6):500–10. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.10.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hauser W, Thieme K, Turk DC. Guidelines on the management of fibromyalgia syndrome—a systematic review. Eur J Pain. 2010;14(1):5–10. doi:10.1016/j.ejpain.2009.01.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Busch AJ, Schachter CL, Overend TJ, et al. Exercise for fibromyalgia: a systematic review. J Rheumatol. 2008;35(6):1130–44.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Thieme K, Flor H, Turk DC. Psychological pain treatment in fibromyalgia syndrome: efficacy of operant behavioural and cognitive behavioural treatments. Arthritis research & therapy. 2006;8(4):R121. doi:10.1186/ar2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Beck JS. Cognitive behavior therapy: basics and beyond. 2nd ed. New York: The Guilford Press; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Butler AC, Chapman JE, Forman EM, et al. The empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: a review of meta-analyses. Clin Psychol Rev. 2006;26(1):17–31. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2005.07.003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Hassett AL, Gevirtz RN. Nonpharmacologic treatment for fibromyalgia: patient education, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques, and complementary and alternative medicine. Rheum Dis Clin N Am. 2009;35(2):393–407. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2009.05.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lazaridou A, Kim J, Cahalan CM, et al. Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on brain connectivity supporting catastrophizing in fibromyalgia. Clin J Pain. 2017;33(3):215–21. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000422.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Sullivan MJL, Bishop SR, Pivik J. The pain catastrophizing scale: development and validation. Psychol Assessment. 1995;7(4):524–32. doi:10.1037//1040-3590.7.4.524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Busch AJ, Webber SC, Richards RS, et al. Resistance exercise training for fibromyalgia. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2013;12:CD010884. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010884.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Byrne A, Byrne DG. The effect of exercise on depression, anxiety and other mood states: a review. J Psychosom Res. 1993;37(6):565–74.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Walitt B, Fitzcharles MA, Hassett AL, et al. The longitudinal outcome of fibromyalgia: a study of 1555 patients. J Rheumatol. 2011;38(10):2238–46. doi:10.3899/jrheum.110026.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Zeidan F, Grant JA, Brown CA, et al. Mindfulness meditation-related pain relief: evidence for unique brain mechanisms in the regulation of pain. Neurosci Lett. 2012;520(2):165–73. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2012.03.082.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Zeidan F, Vago DR. Mindfulness meditation-based pain relief: a mechanistic account. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2016;1373(1):114–27. doi:10.1111/nyas.13153.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. • Lopez-Sola M, Woo CW, Pujol J, et al. Towards a neurophysiological signature for fibromyalgia. Pain. 2017;158(1):34–47. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000707. Well-controlled experimental trial using machine learning techniques to identify a fibromyalgia-associated neural signature that characterizes patients based upon pain-related changes in brain activation.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Gracely RH, Petzke F, Wolf JM, et al. Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence of augmented pain processing in fibromyalgia. Arthritis Rheum. 2002;46(5):1333–43. doi:10.1002/art.10225.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Gracely RH, Geisser ME, Giesecke T, et al. Pain catastrophizing and neural responses to pain among persons with fibromyalgia. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2004;127(Pt 4):835–43. doi:10.1093/brain/awh098.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Napadow V, LaCount L, Park K, et al. Intrinsic brain connectivity in fibromyalgia is associated with chronic pain intensity. Arthritis Rheum. 2010;62(8):2545–55. doi:10.1002/art.27497.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Schweinhardt P, Kalk N, Wartolowska K, et al. Investigation into the neural correlates of emotional augmentation of clinical pain. NeuroImage. 2008;40(2):759–66. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.12.016.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Wiech K, Ploner M, Tracey I. Neurocognitive aspects of pain perception. Trends Cogn Sci. 2008;12(8):306–13. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2008.05.005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Lorenz J, Minoshima S, Casey KL. Keeping pain out of mind: the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in pain modulation. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2003;126(Pt 5):1079–91.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Kim H. A dual-subsystem model of the brain’s default network: self-referential processing, memory retrieval processes, and autobiographical memory retrieval. NeuroImage. 2012;61(4):966–77. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.03.025.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Raichle ME, MacLeod AM, Snyder AZ, et al. A default mode of brain function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001;98(2):676–82. doi:10.1073/pnas.98.2.676.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Christoff K, Gordon AM, Smallwood J, et al. Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009;106(21):8719–24. doi:10.1073/pnas.0900234106.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Mouraux A, Diukova A, Lee MC, et al. A multisensory investigation of the functional significance of the “pain matrix”. NeuroImage. 2011;54(3):2237–49. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.09.084.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Oshiro Y, Quevedo AS, McHaffie JG, et al. Brain mechanisms supporting discrimination of sensory features of pain: a new model. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2009;29(47):14924–31. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5538-08.2009.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Koyama T, McHaffie JG, Laurienti PJ, et al. The subjective experience of pain: where expectations become reality. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005;102(36):12950–5. doi:10.1073/pnas.0408576102.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Critchley HD, Wiens S, Rotshtein P, et al. Neural systems supporting interoceptive awareness. Nat Neurosci. 2004;7(2):189–95. doi:10.1038/nn1176.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Simpson JR Jr, Drevets WC, Snyder AZ, et al. Emotion-induced changes in human medial prefrontal cortex: II. During anticipatory anxiety. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001;98(2):688–93. doi:10.1073/pnas.98.2.688.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Salomons TV, Johnstone T, Backonja MM, et al. Perceived controllability modulates the neural response to pain. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2004;24(32):7199–203. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1315-04.2004.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Ochsner KN, Gross JJ. The cognitive control of emotion. Trends Cogn Sci. 2005;9(5):242–9. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.03.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Vogt BA. Pain and emotion interactions in subregions of the cingulate gyrus. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005;6(7):533–44. doi:10.1038/nrn1704.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Coghill RC, Sang CN, Maisog JH, et al. Pain intensity processing within the human brain: a bilateral, distributed mechanism. J Neurophysiol. 1999;82(4):1934–43.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. McBeth J, Silman AJ. The role of psychiatric disorders in fibromyalgia. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2001;3(2):157–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Quintero L, Moreno M, Avila C, et al. Long-lasting delayed hyperalgesia after subchronic swim stress. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2000;67(3):449–58.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Suarez-Roca H, Silva JA, Arcaya JL, et al. Role of mu-opioid and NMDA receptors in the development and maintenance of repeated swim stress-induced thermal hyperalgesia. Behav Brain Res. 2006;167(2):205–11. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2005.09.006.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Dina OA, Levine JD, Green PG. Enhanced cytokine-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in skeletal muscle produced by a novel mechanism in rats exposed to unpredictable sound stress. Eur J Pain. 2011;15(8):796–800. doi:10.1016/j.ejpain.2011.02.005.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Wallace DJ, Linker-Israeli M, Hallegua D, et al. Cytokines play an aetiopathogenetic role in fibromyalgia: a hypothesis and pilot study. Rheumatology. 2001;40(7):743–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Hernandez ME, Becerril E, Perez M, et al. Proinflammatory cytokine levels in fibromyalgia patients are independent of body mass index. BMC research notes. 2010;3(1):156. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-3-156.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Iannuccelli C, Di Franco M, Alessandri C, et al. Pathophysiology of fibromyalgia: a comparison with the tension-type headache, a localized pain syndrome. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1193:78–83. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05365.x.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Uceyler N, Hauser W, Sommer C. Systematic review with meta-analysis: cytokines in fibromyalgia syndrome. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2011;12:245. doi:10.1186/1471-2474-12-245.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Wang H, Moser M, Schiltenwolf M, et al. Circulating cytokine levels compared to pain in patients with fibromyalgia—a prospective longitudinal study over 6 months. J Rheumatol. 2008;35(7):1366–70.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Dina OA, Levine JD, Green PG. Muscle inflammation induces a protein kinase Cepsilon-dependent chronic-latent muscle pain. The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society. 2008;9(5):457–62. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2008.01.328.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Malcangio M, Bowery NG, Flower RJ, et al. Effect of interleukin-1 beta on the release of substance P from rat isolated spinal cord. Eur J Pharmacol. 1996;299(1–3):113–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. De Felipe C, Herrero JF, O'Brien JA, et al. Altered nociception, analgesia and aggression in mice lacking the receptor for substance P. Nature. 1998;392(6674):394–7. doi:10.1038/32904.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Slavich GM, Way BM, Eisenberger NI, et al. Neural sensitivity to social rejection is associated with inflammatory responses to social stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010;107(33):14817–22. doi:10.1073/pnas.1009164107.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  51. Rosenkranz MA, Busse WW, Johnstone T, et al. Neural circuitry underlying the interaction between emotion and asthma symptom exacerbation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005;102(37):13319–24. doi:10.1073/pnas.0504365102.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  52. Kabat-Zinn J, Lipworth L, Burney R. The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. J Behav Med. 1985;8(2):163–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Lakhan SE, Schofield KL. Mindfulness-based therapies in the treatment of somatization disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2013;8(8):e71834. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0071834.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  54. Sephton SE, Salmon P, Weissbecker I, et al. Mindfulness meditation alleviates depressive symptoms in women with fibromyalgia: results of a randomized clinical trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2007;57(1):77–85. doi:10.1002/art.22478.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Schmidt S, Grossman P, Schwarzer B, et al. Treating fibromyalgia with mindfulness-based stress reduction: results from a 3-armed randomized controlled trial. Pain. 2011;152(2):361–9. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.10.043.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Balderson BH, et al. Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction vs cognitive behavioral therapy or usual care on back pain and functional limitations in adults with chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2016;315(12):1240–9. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.2323.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Morone NE, Greco CM, Weiner DK. Mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic low back pain in older adults: a randomized controlled pilot study. Pain. 2008;134(3):310–9. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2007.04.038.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Morone NE, Greco CM, Moore CG, et al. A mind-body program for older adults with chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(3):329–37. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.8033.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Garland EL, Gaylord SA, Palsson O, et al. Therapeutic mechanisms of a mindfulness-based treatment for IBS: effects on visceral sensitivity, catastrophizing, and affective processing of pain sensations. J Behav Med. 2012;35(6):591–602. doi:10.1007/s10865-011-9391-z.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Goldin P, Ziv M, Jazaieri H, et al. Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction versus aerobic exercise: effects on the self-referential brain network in social anxiety disorder. Front Hum Neurosci. 2012;6:295. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00295.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  61. Zeidan F, Martucci KT, Kraft RA, et al. Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2014;9(6):751–9. doi:10.1093/scan/nst041.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Miller JJ, Fletcher K, Kabat-Zinn J. Three-year follow-up and clinical implications of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1995;17(3):192–200.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Goldin PR, Gross JJ. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion. 2010;10(1):83–91. doi:10.1037/a0018441.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  64. Barnhofer T, Crane C, Hargus E, et al. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as a treatment for chronic depression: a preliminary study. Behav Res Ther. 2009;47(5):366–73. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.01.019.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  65. Farb NA, Anderson AK, Mayberg H, et al. Minding one’s emotions: mindfulness training alters the neural expression of sadness. Emotion. 2010;10(1):25–33. doi:10.1037/a0017151.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  66. Paul NA, Stanton SJ, Greeson JM, et al. Psychological and neural mechanisms of trait mindfulness in reducing depression vulnerability. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2013;8(1):56–64. doi:10.1093/scan/nss070.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  67. Zeidan F, Johnson SK, Gordon NS, et al. Effects of brief and sham mindfulness meditation on mood and cardiovascular variables. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(8):867–73. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0321.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  68. Taren AA, Gianaros PJ, Greco CM, et al. Mindfulness meditation training alters stress-related amygdala resting state functional connectivity: a randomized controlled trial. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2015;10(12):1758–68. doi:10.1093/scan/nsv066.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  69. Creswell JD, Pacilio LE, Lindsay EK, et al. Brief mindfulness meditation training alters psychological and neuroendocrine responses to social evaluative stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2014;44:1–12. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.02.007.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Wiech K, Tracey I. The influence of negative emotions on pain: behavioral effects and neural mechanisms. NeuroImage. 2009;47(3):987–94. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.05.059.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. Bushnell MC, Ceko M, Low LA. Cognitive and emotional control of pain and its disruption in chronic pain. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2013;14(7):502–11. doi:10.1038/nrn3516.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  72. Anheyer D, Haller H, Barth J et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for treating low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2017:1–9. doi:10.7326/M16-1997.

  73. Kabat-Zinn J. An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: theoretical considerations and preliminary results. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 1982;4(1):33–47.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Goldenberg D, Kaplan KH, Nadeau MG, Brodeur C, Smith S, Schmid CH. A controlled study of a stress-reduction, cognitive-behavioral treatment program in fibromyalgia. J Musculoskelet Pain. 1994;2(2).

  75. Cash E, Salmon P, Weissbecker I, et al. Mindfulness meditation alleviates fibromyalgia symptoms in women: results of a randomized clinical trial. Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. 2015;49(3):319–30. doi:10.1007/s12160-014-9665-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  76. Grossman P, Tiefenthaler-Gilmer U, Raysz A, et al. Mindfulness training as an intervention for fibromyalgia: evidence of postintervention and 3-year follow-up benefits in well-being. Psychother Psychosom. 2007;76(4):226–33. doi:10.1159/000101501.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  77. Astin JA, Berman BM, Bausell B, et al. The efficacy of mindfulness meditation plus Qigong movement therapy in the treatment of fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. J Rheumatol. 2003;30(10):2257–62.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  78. Fjorback LO, Arendt M, Ornbol E, et al. Mindfulness therapy for somatization disorder and functional somatic syndromes: randomized trial with one-year follow-up. J Psychosom Res. 2013;74(1):31–40. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2012.09.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  79. Davis MC, Zautra AJ. An online mindfulness intervention targeting socioemotional regulation in fibromyalgia: results of a randomized controlled trial. Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. 2013;46(3):273–84. doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9513-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  80. Amutio A, Franco C, Perez-Fuentes Mde C, et al. Mindfulness training for reducing anger, anxiety, and depression in fibromyalgia patients. Front Psychol. 2014;5:1572. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01572.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  81. • Van Gordon W, Shonin E, Dunn TJ, et al. Meditation awareness training for the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Br J Health Psychol. 2017;22(1):186–206. doi:10.1111/bjhp.12224. Well-controlled clinical trial demonstrating that civic engagement and non-attachment may mediate meditation-associated improvements in fibromyalgia patients.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  82. Heinrichs M, Baumgartner T, Kirschbaum C, et al. Social support and oxytocin interact to suppress cortisol and subjective responses to psychosocial stress. Biol Psychiatry. 2003;54(12):1389–98.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  83. Glass TA, De Leon CF, Bassuk SS, et al. Social engagement and depressive symptoms in late life: longitudinal findings. Journal of aging and health. 2006;18(4):604–28. doi:10.1177/0898264306291017.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  84. Zeidan F, Martucci KT, Kraft RA, et al. Brain mechanisms supporting the modulation of pain by mindfulness meditation. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2011;31(14):5540–8. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5791-10.2011.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  85. • Zeidan F, Emerson NM, Farris SR, et al. Mindfulness meditation-based pain relief employs different neural mechanisms than placebo and sham mindfulness meditation-induced analgesia. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2015;35(46):15307–25. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2542-15.2015. Mechanistic study in healthy participants demonstrating that mindfulness meditation may alleviate pain through engaging cognitive reappraisal mechanisms that in turn modulate the transmission of nociceptive information throughout the cortex in a context dependent manner.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  86. Brown CA, Jones AK. Meditation experience predicts less negative appraisal of pain: electrophysiological evidence for the involvement of anticipatory neural responses. Pain. 2010;150(3):428–38. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.04.017.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  87. Lutz A, McFarlin DR, Perlman DM, et al. Altered anterior insula activation during anticipation and experience of painful stimuli in expert meditators. NeuroImage. 2013;64:538–46. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.09.030.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  88. Grant JA, Rainville P. Pain sensitivity and analgesic effects of mindful states in Zen meditators: a cross-sectional study. Psychosom Med. 2009;71(1):106–14. doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e31818f52ee.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  89. Grant JA, Courtemanche J, Rainville P. A non-elaborative mental stance and decoupling of executive and pain-related cortices predicts low pain sensitivity in Zen meditators. Pain. 2011;152(1):150–6. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.10.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  90. Gard T, Holzel BK, Sack AT, et al. Pain attenuation through mindfulness is associated with decreased cognitive control and increased sensory processing in the brain. Cereb Cortex. 2012;22(11):2692–702. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhr352.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  91. Zeidan F, Johnson SK, Diamond BJ, et al. Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: evidence of brief mental training. Conscious Cogn. 2010;19(2):597–605. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2010.03.014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  92. Zeidan F, Gordon NS, Merchant J, et al. The effects of brief mindfulness meditation training on experimentally induced pain. The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society. 2010;11(3):199–209. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2009.07.015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  93. Zeidan F, Adler-Neal AL, Wells RE, et al. Mindfulness-meditation-based pain relief is not mediated by endogenous opioids. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2016;36(11):3391–7. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4328-15.2016.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  94. Crick F. Function of the thalamic reticular complex: the searchlight hypothesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984;81(14):4586–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  95. McAlonan K, Cavanaugh J, Wurtz RH. Attentional modulation of thalamic reticular neurons. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2006;26(16):4444–50. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5602-05.2006.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  96. Creswell JD, Taren AA, Lindsay EK, et al. Alterations in resting-state functional connectivity link mindfulness meditation with reduced interleukin-6: a randomized controlled trial. Biol Psychiatry. 2016;80(1):53–61. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.01.008.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  97. Davidson RJ, Kabat-Zinn J, Schumacher J, et al. Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosom Med. 2003;65(4):564–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  98. Creswell JD, Irwin MR, Burklund LJ, et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction training reduces loneliness and pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults: a small randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2012;26(7):1095–101. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2012.07.006.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  99. Kabat-Zinn J, Wheeler E, Light T, et al. Influence of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention on rates of skin clearing in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis undergoing phototherapy (UVB) and photochemotherapy (PUVA). Psychosom Med. 1998;60(5):625–32.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  100. Overman CL, Kool MB, Da Silva JA, et al. The prevalence of severe fatigue in rheumatic diseases: an international study. Clin Rheumatol. 2016;35(2):409–15. doi:10.1007/s10067-015-3035-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  101. Wicksell RK, Kemani M, Jensen K, et al. Acceptance and commitment therapy for fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pain. 2013;17(4):599–611. doi:10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00224.x.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  102. Carson JW, Carson KM, Jones KD, et al. A pilot randomized controlled trial of the Yoga of Awareness program in the management of fibromyalgia. Pain. 2010;151(2):530–9. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.08.020.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  103. Field T, Diego M, Cullen C, et al. Fibromyalgia pain and substance P decrease and sleep improves after massage therapy. Journal of clinical rheumatology : practical reports on rheumatic & musculoskeletal diseases. 2002;8(2):72–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  104. Hassett AL, Radvanski DC, Vaschillo EG, et al. A pilot study of the efficacy of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback in patients with fibromyalgia. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback. 2007;32(1):1–10. doi:10.1007/s10484-006-9028-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  105. Michalsen A, Grossman P, Acil A, et al. Rapid stress reduction and anxiolysis among distressed women as a consequence of a three-month intensive yoga program. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research. 2005;11(12):CR555–61.

    Google Scholar 

  106. Zucker TL, Samuelson KW, Muench F, et al. The effects of respiratory sinus arrhythmia biofeedback on heart rate variability and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: a pilot study. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback. 2009;34(2):135–43. doi:10.1007/s10484-009-9085-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  107. Field T, Hernandez-Reif M, Diego M, et al. Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy. The International journal of neuroscience. 2005;115(10):1397–413. doi:10.1080/00207450590956459.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  108. Schmid AA, Van Puymbroeck M, Koceja DM. Effect of a 12-week yoga intervention on fear of falling and balance in older adults: a pilot study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010;91(4):576–83. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2009.12.018.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  109. Raub JA. Psychophysiologic effects of Hatha Yoga on musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary function: a literature review. J Altern Complement Med. 2002;8(6):797–812. doi:10.1089/10755530260511810.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  110. Moonaz SH, Bingham CO 3rd, Wissow L, et al. Yoga in sedentary adults with arthritis: effects of a randomized controlled pragmatic trial. J Rheumatol. 2015;42(7):1194–202. doi:10.3899/jrheum.141129.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 1 Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA

    Adrienne L. Adler-Neal & Fadel Zeidan

Authors
  1. Adrienne L. Adler-Neal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fadel Zeidan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fadel Zeidan.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Adler-Neal, A.L., Zeidan, F. Mindfulness Meditation for Fibromyalgia: Mechanistic and Clinical Considerations. Curr Rheumatol Rep 19, 59 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-017-0686-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-017-0686-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation