Meditation for Pain
Living with pain—whether chronic or acute—can be an exhausting and isolating experience. While medication and physical treatments often play an important role, they don’t always provide complete relief.
That’s where meditation comes in. This mind-body practice has been increasingly embraced by medical professionals and individuals alike as a complementary approach to managing pain, helping people feel more in control of their bodies and their experiences.
Meditation doesn’t eliminate pain, but it can change the way we relate to it. By cultivating awareness and learning to observe sensations without resistance, meditation can reduce the emotional intensity and distress often linked to pain. Instead of tensing up or spiraling into fear and frustration, practitioners can learn to bring gentleness, curiosity, and presence to their discomfort. Over time, this shift in perception can lead to a noticeable improvement in quality of life—even if the physical pain itself remains.
Whether you’re dealing with back pain, migraines, arthritis, or other forms of persistent discomfort, meditation offers tools to navigate the mental and emotional challenges that come with it. In this guide, we’ll explore how mindfulness techniques can support pain relief, what science says about their effectiveness, and how to begin a practice that meets you exactly where you are.
Meditation for chronic pain: how it helps and how to practice
Chronic pain is difficult to manage but meditation can help. We share 5 meditation techniques for pain relief, and wisdom from meditation teacher, Avi Craimer.
Meditation for headaches and migraines
Headaches and migraines are a (literal) pain. Try our 5 meditations and other mindfulness practices for quick pain relief and long-term headache prevention.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.
