Subliminal learning and conscious thought reduce and enhance pain

New research shows that conscious and non-conscious thought processes can both alleviate and enhance the experience of pain

When we say that we are "in pain", we usually mean that an injured body part is hurting us. But the phenomenon we call pain consists of more than just physical sensations, and often has mental and emotional aspects, too. Pain signals entering the black box of the brain can be subjected further processing, and these hidden thought processes can alter the way we perceive them.

We still know very little about these non-physical aspects of pain, or about the brain processes responsible for them. We do know, however, that learning and mental imagery can both diminish and enhance the experience of felt pain. Two new studies now extend these findings - one shows that subliminal learning can also alter pain responses, and the other explains how mental imagery can do so.