- Researchers in China say that nostalgic thoughts can help relieve some types of physical pain.
- However, some experts questioned this new study, saying more research is needed.
- They acknowledge that there seems to be some connection between the memories and the pain, but it is not known exactly what it might be.
- They add that mindfulness and imagery can be used in some cases to treat chronic pain.
Thinking about good memories can help ease feelings of physical pain.
That is the conclusion of a new study of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In the study, researchers measured brain activity in 34 right-handed female participants between the ages of 18 and 25 while rating levels of nostalgia from images and rating pain from thermal (heat) stimuli.
Nostalgic images were not specific to individuals. They were a combination of images featuring scenes and elements from an average childhood, such as a popular candy, a cartoon TV show, and a schoolyard game.
The images in a control group represented scenes and corresponding elements of modern adult life.
Participants reported the strongest effect of recalling good memories on low-intensity pain levels, but overall, viewing nostalgic images lowered pain level ratings, compared to viewing more current images.
The study authors conclude that there is a possibility that remembering good memories acts as a kind of pain reliever, but more clinical research in larger sample sizes is needed to better understand how this works.
Gwen HermanLCSW, DCSW, clinical director of the US Pain Foundation, notes that since the study was conducted in China, there may be cultural differences regarding homesickness.
He also told Healthline there was a limited sample size and the study seemed too simplistic.
Herman founded pain connectiona national network of chronic pain support groups that supports the training of group leaders, after a car accident left her in pain and without resources.
“I don’t like pain studies that use thermal heat to determine effects on chronic pain. sharp pain it’s very different from chronic pain,” he said.
“Also, these people knew that the pain was temporary. It didn’t affect every aspect of these people’s lives like chronic pain does,” Herman added.
“Another point to keep in mind is that many people with chronic pain are stuck in the past and have a hard time accepting that their bodies have changed and their lives have changed,” explained Herman. “I wouldn’t encourage them to dwell on the past (nostalgia), unless it’s something general like music or a movie.”
Kenneth GorfinklePhD, a clinical psychologist practicing in New York at Commonsense Therapy, also found that the new research was missing.
“Much of the enthusiasm for the neuroscience behind understanding the relationship between memory, mood, and emotion, while plausible, remains fairly speculative,” he told Healthline.
Gorfinkle’s clinical work has been at the bedside of people experiencing chronic and acute pain and distress associated with medical conditions.
“The research raises many more questions than it answers and needs to be replicated with much larger samples in multiple laboratories before we start to draw any firm conclusions about the specificity of nostalgia or about the function of the brain structures under observation,” he said. “Statistically, it is very common for researchers to report a positive finding as significant when it could well have been found by chance.”
It’s not entirely clear, but experts say there is some relationship between memory and pain perception.
“Each time we recall an experience, we are necessarily reactivating neurons and networks that they were shooting during the creation of the memory,” said Kelly KentPhD, neurorecovery specialist and co-founder of adaptED, an education-focused consulting company that helps people develop their own brain-based best practices so they can thrive.
“This also means that every time we remember and experience, we are reforming itlike a new and different set of neurons, and the networks are also firing since the harvester is necessarily in a different place and time,” he explained.
As a result, new neural associations can be made between old and new experiences.
That is why memory is so generally unreliablebut especially when the memories are emotional,” Kent told Healthline.
“One of the many tools available to me is deep relaxation with guided imagery,” Gorfinkle added.
He said that this tool is similar to classical hypnosis.
“Where good memories come in is that remembering what I call a mini-narrative, or a memory of a past event or situation that evokes pleasant feelings in the present, can easily allow a patient to focus intensely on somato-thoughts. and sensory and emotional feelings over a period of time,” Gorfinkle said.
“The more vividly a person can evoke those sensations, thoughts, and feelings, the more effectively they will begin to compete with the unpleasant pain, fear, anxiety, and suffering associated with the current situation. This kind of technique is not new,” she added.
Guided imagery, which uses all five of a person’s senses, is the best way to recall useful memories using all five senses, according to Herman.
Kent adds that using nostalgia to ease pain is simply an act of practice.
“The more we practice tuning our attention to a particular thing, the better we can access that tuning with future efforts,” he added.
In other words, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Practicing this type of mindfulness can help a person better filter out “noise” and focus on specific practice (such as breath and body), Kent added.
“Therapeutic power depends largely on the quality of that relationship [between therapist and patient]Gorfinkle said. “Trust, trust, and the associated willingness to suspend skepticism and disbelief are key components of what Sigmund Freud called the transference. In this case, the caregiver’s association with a benevolent figure in the person’s memory.
“All of this is to say that for nostalgic memories to have beneficial effects, it helps to be in a willing and confident frame of mind,” he said.
Gorfinkle summarizes the keys to making the most of nostalgic memory:
- Being in a safe, reliable and collaborative environment.
- Try to recall memories that include vivid multisensory, somatic, and kinesthetic (using all five senses) experiences.
- Embed in a short narrative or story that is easy to remember.
- Practice in a non-stressful environment before trying to put it into practice under severe stress.
