Zen Meditation Reduces Sensitivity To Pain

Zen meditation can help people reduce their sensitivity to pain by thickening their brain, says a new study.

Montreal University (M-U) researchers made the discovery by comparing the grey matter thickness of Zen meditators and non-meditators.

They found evidence that practicing the centuries-old discipline of Zen can reinforce a central brain region (anterior cingulate) that regulates pain.

"Through training, Zen meditators appear to thicken certain areas of their cortex and this appears to underlie their lower sensitivity to pain," says Joshua A Grant, a doctoral student at M-U in physiology.

"We found a relationship between cortical thickness and pain sensitivity, which supports our previous study on how Zen meditation regulates pain," added Grant.

For the study, scientists recruited meditators and non-meditators, who in addition had never practiced yoga, experienced chronic pain, neurological or psychological illness. (MORE)

Source: Times of India