Monk Meditation

The Shaolin monks of China have an amazing ability to manage pain. They use meditation to control their perception of pain. By focusing on meditating, they can slow their heart rate and relax their muscles. This allows them to reduce tension in their body and lessen their reaction to pain even though the brain is completely alert. Using meditation techniques gives them the ability to perform in shows in which they break bricks on their heads and balance on sharp blades. Their control of their body and mind lets them manage and reduce their perception of pain.

Meditation studies have shown that mindfulness meditation is able to help people cope with pain. One study showed that, after mindfulness meditation training, the participants reported lower pain intensity and unpleasantness when exposed to a heat source. Meditation was shown to reduce activity in the parts of the brain that dealt with pain processing. Some doctors say that meditation can help with postoperative pain and acute pain. However, its usefulness for chronic pain is still unclear. All in all, the brain has shown amazing capabilities of controlling its perception and reaction to pain.

Sources:

Boyles, S. (2011). Meditation may reduce pain. WebMD. Retrieved 11/23/2011 from http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20110406/meditation-may-reduce-pain

Discovery (2008). Human body: sensation – shaolin monks. Retrieved 11/23/2011 from http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/human-body-sensation-shaolin-monks.html

-by Kimberly Kolaga