Small reductions in opioid dose (~10mg MED) and a mean opioid discontinuation rate of 29% (range of 6-55%) have been found in patients with chronic pain participating in psychological interventions that include MBIs.

Low-quality evidence suggests MBIs are associated with small improvements in chronic pain symptoms compared to treatment as usual, passive controls, and educational/support groups. Further, these interventions are associated with improvements in depression (high-quality evidence) and quality of life (low-moderate quality evidence). A meta-analysis failed to find evidence of the effect of MBIs on pain severity in acute pain conditions; however, it did find that MBIs are associated with increases in pain tolerance (moderate quality evidence) and pain threshold (low quality evidence). While findings from meta-analyses indicate that MBIs are likely to be as effective as other psychosocial treatments (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain) on pain intensity and mood, there appears to be insufficient evidence to determine if MBIs have a meaningful effect on pain interference and disability.