The Student Room Group

Quick Meditional Control over Pain question

Hello people,

Again I'm a 1st year medical student at Barts and the London and as a part of our curriculum we have to do presentations on certain topics, we've chosen the power of meditation as a means of controlling pain levels.

As a a result it would be great if I could get people's opinion on the use of meditation to control pain, and if you have tried it yourself then I would love to hear your experience of it.


TLDR; So:

1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?




Thank you very much to anyone and everyone that takes time to respond to this, it really does help :top:
Reply 1
1) Nothing sorry:redface:

2) Sounds interesting, would like to know if its real or just a placebo effect, personally if it helps it should be used, not like its taking up any/too much money from the NHS.

3) No

5) Maybe depends on the sources that told me it worked or not(reliability) and what are my alternatives.

Hope I helped :smile:
Original post by Penguinsaysquack

1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?
People use it.
2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
Can work, but paracetemol works more
3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)
When I have piercings done I hum in order to control my breathing and helps me get through pain, same with giving blood.
4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?
Yes.
5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
N/A

Useless answers = useless, sorry!
1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?
- Not much haha. I assume it's one of the 'mind over body' methods of pain relief?

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
- I don't really have any strong opinions on it as obviously I don't much about it, but if it works for some people then that's their choice

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)
- Nope

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
- Maybe, if they told me more about it, but if I was in a lot of pain or if it was chronic and affecting my quality of life then I'd probably not be very rational and would most likely ask if there's anything else they can give me (i.e. actual pain relief drugs). If it was only mild pain then I'd be willing to try it!
Reply 4
Hey, hope i can help a little.
I have a rare neuralgia in my inner ear which causes permanent chronic pain (i chose not to get brain surgery due to risks)

1) As a patient at my local children's hospital, deep breathing exercises and yoga were used as part of inpatient treatment. Personally it did nothing for my pain but it DID help me to relax and unwind :smile:

2) I agree with it in regards to helping patients relax a little more...if pain is so severe; being able to relax somewhat helped me able to cope with it a little better. Although personally, I don't really agree with it as the only form of pain management.

3)Yes

4)They helped me relax but didnt help the pain itself

Hope i helped a little :smile:
Reply 5
1) Whole idea of mind over matter isn't it? "You're not actually in pain, it's just your body telling you that you are, concentrate and ignore it"

2) It does sound interesting, if someone wants to breathe and do yoga instead of pain relief, that's their call. If they want medicinal relief, I'm sure they could scream for it

3) No

5) Depends on the pain really. If it's something like a headache then maybe. If it was something like a stab wound, I'd be inclined towards the drugs.
Reply 6
1) Nothing, nada, zip.

2) Only if it doesn't affect any treatment a person is given (which I don't think it often does). I think there can be more benefits to it than harm (if any) so it gets a thumbs up from me. The worst thing that can happen is it doesn't work, but I suppose that has more to do with a persons attitude to it. I think doctors should only recommend it to patients who they feel might actually benefit and also consider the severity of patients pain e.g. if a patient is in extreme agony to the point where small movement hurt and you recommend meditation it might be seen as taking the piss. I also think it should be used when all else fails, as a last resort to controlling SOME types of pains that are very difficult to treat medically.

3) Nope never.

5)No because I think I'd be too skeptical of it. I don't have the right mentality and attitude. However, if it was recommended to me by a doctor to do some breathing exercises etc I would.

Tell me if you need me to elaborate. :gthumb:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 7
1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?
- Nothing.

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
-Absoloutely, anything which uses mind over drugs and other such external means should be embraced.

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)
Nope (unless this includes trying to breathe through getting AS results before my heart flies out of my chest)

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
Yep - but i'm not sure how handy it would be for extreme pain e.g. child birth, for which i would want all the bloody drugs in the world!
Reply 8
Original post by Penguinsaysquack
Hello people,

Again I'm a 1st year medical student at Barts and the London and as a part of our curriculum we have to do presentations on certain topics, we've chosen the power of meditation as a means of controlling pain levels.

As a a result it would be great if I could get people's opinion on the use of meditation to control pain, and if you have tried it yourself then I would love to hear your experience of it.


TLDR; So:

1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?




Thank you very much to anyone and everyone that takes time to respond to this, it really does help :top:



I have never used mediation to relieve pain - but instead to calm down and feel relaxed - which often then does help to relieve pain i.e. muscular pain or head aches or just any general pains associated with stress etc.
Reply 9
1) I'd say it's more like focusing the mind on doing something else to forget the pain.

2) I think it's alright, if one can do it well enough (like those Buddhist monks/people seem to be able to do)

3) In Kendo classes way back when I was like 8-ish? We had to meditate after the more painful stretches.

4) Can't really remember, sorry :frown:

5) n/a ?
Reply 10
1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?

Not much really, but I did read up on mediation being used to ease the pain of childbirth and it being quite effective in some people

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?

Just because someone is in pain doesn't mean they are risking their life so using non-standard treatments should be considered if that is what the patient wants- the most holistic approach

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)

No

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?

If I had chronic pain I may consider it as an alternative option to long term pain killers- which can have side effects

Hope that helps :smile:
1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?

Some people claim it works well, other claim it doesn't work. Some people think it's a 'miracle cure' for pain control and other health issues and are possibly incorrect in their views.


2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
I think unless the pain is minor (i.e. the person doesn't really need to control pain) then it probably won't be sufficient. It shouldn't be used instead of conventional medication to control pain. It could give an added benefit to keep calm when in pain for a person who is also using standard pain relief medication.

I tend to think of it more as a hippyish way of thinking for people afraid of medication, who misunderstand it and won't trust it. I think money really shouldn't be spend on meditation in NHS settings are the money can be better spent on 'proper' treatment and pain control.

I also consider what some people might class as 'meditation' to come from a more dodgy spiritual area and might be seeking help from evil forces. It's a bad place to go to for help and people don't realise what they are opening themselves up to...

On the other hand, might some people consider prayer to be a form of 'meditation'? That's about the limit that should be OK...and even then, used alongside traditional pain relief.


3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises).

I've not really been in server pain and usually push through minor pain without medication.


4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?
n/a


5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
Not really. I think that pain control medication is there for us to use (from a faith based view, it's part of the world God created, so we should use it to help us when in need). Prayer might be helpful beyond that to bring you closer to God to help you through. But 'meditation' is not something I see as being that beneficial and certainly not when used alone.


Sorry if these answers seem a bit 'weird' in places, but hope it all helps :wink:
Reply 12
1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?
Many people have claimed to be able to separate mind from body in order to feel no pain. e.g. setting yourself on fire. However, some of these such as walking over hot coals have been disproved.

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
I would say that to an extent, meditation can help control pain. However, because of the range of severity and type of pain (neurological, physical etc) I wouldn't completely agree with it.

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)
Yes.

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?
Nope, as the pain is mainly psychological, its a lot harder for me to clear my thoughts etc. :h:

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
N/a
Reply 13
Original post by Penguinsaysquack


1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?
Isn't it a lot to do with breathing to deal with the pain - as far as I know, its to do with teaching yourself to deal with it, rather than get rid of it.

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
If it works, great. Its not something you could force on anyone, since it just wouldn't work if they weren't really open to it, but everyone will have their own method of pain relief that works for them, whether thats morphine or meditation.

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)

No sorry, not really had any serious pain to deal with! Although I do tend to avoid taking painkillers as far as possible, so I do try to concentrate on other things and breathe to help any pain I do get (headaches,cramps and backache from work are the main ones for me, but none are really that bad)

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?

n/a

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
I think I probably would - it would depend a lot on the type of pain it was. if it was chronic pain, I would try to avoid painkillers as far as possible, but just for acute pain I'd just take tablets. I can imagine it would take a while to be able to master any meditation to make it effective, and I suppose I wouldn't really see the point if the pain was only going to be short term. On the other hand, if I was diagnosed with something where the pain would always be there, I'd definitely try it.


Sorry my answers aren't more helpful!
1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?
I don't really know anything about it other than what it says on the tin: people try to use meditation in various forms to control pain sorry :colondollar:
2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
It's unlikely to harm you by all means do it if it might help. I'd be more inclined to try it in conjuntion with painkillers though. Double pain killing action if the meditation worked. Like Twelve said though, if you weren't open to it, it probably wouldn't work so it's all a personal thing
3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)
No. Although my mum got through 4/5 births without any painkillers, just using breathing through it. Mind over matter when working towards a goal? (Though I guess it may be different with pregnancy as most pains don't usually result in something positive such as a baby)
4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?
n/a
5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
I'd give it a go, may aswell but I guess it'd come down to The Pain in the end and what I felt would help. I tend to find painkillers don't help me too much so I just avoid them unless I think it'll work


Sorry there's not a lot useful in there and for the lack of sense but I'm knackard. Not really sure why I'm still on here tbh :tongue:
Reply 15
This sounds extremely interesting... Hope my answer contributes to your presentation!

1) Briefly, what do you know about using meditation to control pain?
Some cultures seem to think by putting one's body in a relaxed state, they are able to think more critically about their pain and somehow control it.

2) What are your opinions on using meditation to control pain? Do you agree with it?
Hm... Hard to say, really. I was always brought up to think that meditation and deep breath and thoughts put one's mind in a comfortable state (i.e. zen), but I'm not sure about using meditation ONLY to control pain. Sure, doctors tell patients to relax and etc, but I'm not sure if that would count as a professional advice. I certainly wouldn't solely recommend meditation. I would most likely tell patients to try to relax and take off their minds on something other than their pain.

3) Have you tried using meditation to control pain? (This includes class session, yoga, breathing exercises)
I did yoga for a little while, but I didn't try yoga to try to control pain. It was more for exercising - haven't done that in a while :colondollar:

4) If yes, do you find these sessions helped?
I just found it enjoyable to get some exercise done, but nothing more than that.

5) If no, would you consider using meditation methods to help control your pain, if you had pain?
I would try to relax and try to take my mind off the pain, but I would most certianly take some medications or anything that is professionally recommended by my physician.

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