Can mindfulness meditation help with chronic migraine? Long-term migraineur Sarah Rathsack shares her findings.

When I first started practicing meditation for migraine, it wasn't easy.

I wish I could sit cross-legged, put my fingers and thumbs together, chant "om," and drift off into a Zen place.

Sadly, I'm not one of those people.

I’m a mom, teacher, wife, friend, writer, and person living with chronic migraine. My mind doesn’t just "shut off" to meditation. I imagine many people feel similarly.

But over time, I realized that that's why mindfulness meditation for migraine is called a "practice" — it takes time and effort before you start to see results.

Why I started looking into meditation

I started meditating as a natural way to combat the stress and anxiety that can trigger migraine attacks and linger afterward. I wanted to help myself deal with the inevitable pain by calming my mind and body. My hope was to find a sense of personal control over migraine, as living with a chronic illness often makes me feel powerless.

Finding holistic ways to deal with my body and emotions is an integral part of my life. I practice gratitude each day, and I thought meditation could help me turn those thoughts inward. Above all, I enjoy being present, and my hope was that meditation could be another resource in my toolkit to combat the effects of migraine and create better self-awareness.

Do mindfulness meditation techniques actually work for migraine?

The short answer: maybe.

When it comes to migraine, more research is needed to determine if mindfulness meditation has a significant positive impact on migraine attacks’ severity or frequency.

That said, research into the health benefits of mindfulness has found that meditation can be useful for stress relief and reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and some pain conditions. This may be because mindfulness practices promote relaxation and may help to change emotional and behavioral patterns that help people have a better overall quality of life.

In my personal experience, I’ve found that simply making time and finding an environment that works for meditation allows me to relax a bit and release some of the muscle tension I experience as a result of my migraine attacks.

5 ways to use mindfulness meditation for a more migraine-friendly lifestyle

1. Find your “meditation style”

Finding the right meditation style will take trial and error when targeting specific thoughts or feelings.

I learned this the hard way during a migraine attack when I tried a guided meditation for pain. I had hoped that particular meditation would help take the consuming thoughts of my head pain away to focus on other parts of my body. Instead, those prompts actually intensified my feelings of pain and made me panic. The phrase, "Identify where the pain is coming from if you are able," instantly made me quit that session. My migraine pain was all-consuming, but there was no question as to where it hurt.

I also tried a series that involved chanting words or phrases. I found this difficult—the chants were not in a language I could understand, and I wasn’t sure what I was saying. As a result, it didn’t really feel like the chanting was relevant to my reason for meditating in the first place.

Mindfulness for migraine can work as a distraction technique in the middle of an attack. I need to turn my thoughts away from pain, and toward a time I wasn’t in pain. The next time I tried meditating during an attack, I opted instead for soothing music with no talking at all, and that helped to calm my mind. When I’m not in pain, I enjoy guided meditations for relaxation and peace of mind.

There are a lot of resources and apps online. My favorites offer a lot of different meditation styles and options to choose from, such as guided visualizations or prompts, chants and music, or silent reflection. Many apps also allow you to filter out meditations by length — at this stage, I typically can’t meditate for longer than 10 minutes without my mind wandering. It’s nice to fit in a few moments of mindfulness without committing to a 30+ minute session.

Though using meditation for migraine is one of the newer coping tools, I realized that I have actually been practicing mindfulness for migraine for years without knowing it. In seeking out ways to deal with my condition, I have learned how to focus my breathing and ease my mind by thinking of positive times outside of my migraine attack. This doesn’t always help to “clear” my mind, but it does reduce migraine-related anxiety.

Even though some of the transcendental meditations in the app weren’t the best fit for me, I've found that repeating affirmations like "I can do this," "You've done this before, you'll do it again," and "Please God, hear my prayers," can help me cope.

2. Create a routine

I’ll be honest with you—meditation isn't yet part of my daily routine. Finding time is a real priority, but it’s not always possible.

If you can’t find the time every day, start with a reasonable goal that works for your lifestyle and schedule — two or three times a week, or even only once. Try setting a timer on your phone for the day and time you’d like to meditate. That way, you'll have a handy reminder.

For now, I mostly use meditation to help relax when I know a migraine attack or other stressful event is coming or to unwind in the aftermath. The more I’ve practiced, the more I’ve found that I want to do it more — that’s a great first step!

3. Find a comfortable space

One of the best things about meditation is that you can do it almost anywhere. I generally love a dark, quiet room and a calm space. I’ve meditated in bed, my living room, and even the bath. Soaking in the tub, I was quicker to connect with my breathing, and the warm water helped me achieve stillness in my body.

I don’t think there are any rules regarding where you meditate—it's whatever works for you. You might prefer the privacy of your own bedroom or even an outdoor space. For me, the key is to find a place pleasing to my senses—low light, low sound, a calming scent (such as lavender or peppermint essential oil) or no scent at all, and a comfortable temperature. This environment helps set the stage for relaxation.

4. Practice, practice, practice

If you’re testing the waters with mindfulness methodologies, remember that meditation isn't about being perfect. There is no right or wrong way, place, or time to do it.

It’s OK if you get lost, distracted, or can only commit to a few minutes each time.

5. Give it time

Like most things, really getting into a groove with meditation takes time. It can be hard to "drop in" right away, and I definitely struggle with clearing my mind. Some people devote years to mastering the art of meditation, and they can still struggle at times!

Be gentle with yourself if you get distracted, and don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t seem to click right away.

The takeaway

So, does mindfulness meditation for migraine really work? Well, meditation is like any therapy—we all react differently and benefit in different ways. Mindfulness is an evolving solution to so many ailments. Still, the only way you will see any benefit (or lack thereof, for that matter!) is through time and practice.

Remember: finding your own path is the only way to travel.

The information presented is solely for educational purposes, not as specific advice for the evaluation, management, or treatment of any condition.

The individual(s) who have written and created the content and whose images appear in this article have been paid by Teva Pharmaceuticals for their contributions. This content represents the opinions of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect those of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals does not review, control, influence, or endorse any content related to the contributor's websites or social media networks. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice or recommendations. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and before beginning or changing any treatment regimen.

NPS-ALL-NP-01259 MAY 2024