Despite the heterogeneity in intervention components and outcome variables , there were generally few significant associations between amount of meditation practice and its outcomes .
Interventions using the " Four  Immeasurables Meditations " ( FIM ) are effective for various outcomes ; however , whether increased meditation practice in these interventions leads to better results has not been well investigated .
Loving-Kindness Meditation for Chronic Low Back Pain
Purpose : Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion . This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients . Method : Patients ( N = 43 ) were r and omly assigned to the intervention or st and ard care .  St and ardized measures assessed patients ’ pain , anger , and psychological distress . Findings : Post and follow-up analyses showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress in the loving-kindness group , but no changes in the usual care group . Multilevel analyses of daily data showed that more loving-kindness practice on a given day was related to lower pain that day and lower anger the next day . Conclusions : Preliminary results suggest that the loving-kindness program can be beneficial in reducing pain , anger , and psychological distress in patients with persistent low back pain . Implication s : Clinicians may find loving-kindness meditation helpful in the treatment of patients with persistent pain
Despite the heterogeneity in intervention components and outcome variables , there were generally few significant associations between amount of meditation practice and its outcomes .
Interventions using the " Four  Immeasurables Meditations " ( FIM ) are effective for various outcomes ; however , whether increased meditation practice in these interventions leads to better results has not been well investigated .