Learning mindfulness and hypnosis skills improves not only pain symptoms but also sense of wellbeing

What is it about?

This study examined the impact of chronic pain interventions on people's perceptions of their own wellbeing (a variable called positive psychosocial impacts). We analyzed data from a previous clinical trial of chronic pain interventions, in which participants were randomly assigned to complete mindfulness meditation skills training, hypnosis skills training, or to attend a class on chronic pain facts. We found that for participants in three intervention groups reported improved wellbeing right after the end of the study. However, when participants were followed up with six months after the study, only those in the mindfulness meditation group and the hypnosis group continued to demonstrate those positive self-perceptions. In contrast, people in the pain facts group reported levels of wellbeing similar to their pre-study baseline.

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Why is it important?

A common way for clinical trials of chronic pain treatments to judge their effectiveness is to examine the absence of a negative experience (for example, how much someone's pain intensity is reduced). In this study, however, we demonstrated that it's also important for clinical trials to examine the presence of positive experiences, because participants did in fact demonstrate a lot of growth. Therefore, by asking people about what they gain from challenging health conditions, and not just what they have lost, we can learn a lot about how humans flourish and find meaning amid illness and disability, and develop more suitable holistic interventions.