Zen Meditation Reduces Physical Pain

There does not seem to be any end to humanities search for ways to deal with pain. Zen meditation has long been known as a powerful method of pain mitigation; however, a study has just been published in Emotion, the American Psychological Association journal, which is rekindling the debate over the possible benefits to be had from this ancient practice. “Through training, Zen meditators appear to thicken certain areas of their cortex and this appears to underlie their lower sensitivity to pain,” explained lead author Joshua A. Grant. “We found a relationship between cortical thickness and pain sensitivity.” Grant went on to explain that meditative practices can be helpful for pain management, for any condition where the grey matter is compromised such as stroke or for preventing normal age-related grey matter reductions. “The often painful posture associated with Zen meditation may lead to thicker cortex and lower pain sensitivity.”

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