Simulated Mindfulness Meditation: A Major Breakthrough in the Management of Chronic Pain

One of the most important challenges facing nursing today is pro- viding proper pain management for patients suffering from chro- nic pain (1). According to recent surveys 100 million US adults suffer from chronic pain (2) and one in five people in Europe and developing countries are affected (3). As a result of the strong psychological component of pain perception, supplemental use of non-pharmacological analgesic techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, have proved highly effective (6). This literature review describes mindfulness meditation as an effective and affordable method to alter the pain experience and improve the quality of nur- sing care.