Let it be: mindful acceptance down-regulates pain and negative emotion

摘要: Mindfulness training ameliorates clinical and self-report measures of depression chronic pain, but its use as an emotion regulation strategy-in individuals who do not meditate-remains understudied. As such, whether it (i) down-regulates early affective brain processes or (ii) depends on cognitive control systems remains unclear. We exposed meditation-naive participants to two kinds stimuli: negative vs. neutral images painful warm temperatures. On alternating blocks, we asked either react naturally exercise mindful acceptance. Emotion using acceptance was associated with reductions in reported pain affect, reduced amygdala responses heat-evoked medial lateral systems. Critically, significantly activity a distributed, priori neurologic signature that is sensitive specific experimentally induced pain. In addition, these changes occurred the absence detectable increases prefrontal The findings support idea momentary regulates emotional intensity by changing initial appraisals significance stimuli, which has consequences for treatment emotion.