May 31 2024University of Utah Mindfulness training has made its way into school districts, self-help and health books, and workplaces. One day soon, it could also be widely offered as a "medicine" for some physical and mental health conditions.
That might mean, for example, focusing as you hear or see something beautiful or taste something delicious. Then, when you notice those feelings, you turn your attention inward, Garland says, "to savor the positive inner feeling and to absorb it deeply inside yourself, like water seeping into the soil."
Related StoriesIt hasn't yet been proven in research, but savoring healthy pleasure could also decrease pain intensity by making the brain produce endorphins, which reduce pain, Garland says. Brain research has shown that savoring increases activity in the brain's rewards system, Garland adds, which is associated with decreased pain.
Limitations to mindfulness treatments Like a drug for pain, though, a "dose" of mindfulness doesn't last forever. Currently, science doesn't have a thorough explanation for why, though Garland thinks this is because the brain returns to its habitual patterns. However, with months or years of practice, the brain becomes set to a more mindful baseline.