Processos atentivos e a prática do mindfulness em pacientes com fibromialgia

Abstract

Pain can be defined as an unpleasant sensory, emotional and subjective experience, considered essential for human survival. However, when it persists, it is referred to as chronic pain. It no longer fulfills this vital protection role and is considered a disabling condition, incurring serious physical, emotional, labor and social related damage. Among the syndromes whose set of symptoms revolves around chronic pain, fibromyalgia is considered one of the most common clinical rheumatologic conditions, recognized as a global chronic health problem and requiring excessive use of healthcare services. Given the limited effectiveness of the pharmacological approach in treating fibromyalgia, alternative interventions have been proposed in recent years, including mindfulness-based interventions, which have been increasingly gaining attention from health treatment programs. Basically, mindfulness can be defined as an awareness of the present moment of everything that arises internally or externally, without making judgments, as opposed to having the mind wander or seek to actively solve problems. In this sense, through a systematic literature review, the present investigation aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in pain perception and attention modulation in patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The research strategy was carried out by searching the Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. The descriptors used included the terms: “mindfulness” and “fibromyalgia.” Twelve articles were selected at the end of the survey. Their results pointed towards the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions, considered a complementary resource to conventional pharmacological treatment in patients with fibromyalgia. The benefits of mindfulness practice were identified, mainly related to the quality of life, social engagement, and physical and psychological well-being. Regarding pain management, positive changes associated with the ability to deal with pain were observed. As for the attentive bias, an efficient disengagement related to the threat of pain was observed. Concerning psychological aspects, mindfulness-based programs showed significant mental health effects, mainly involving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. As for social aspects, mindfulness resulted in positive outcomes related to a greater sense of social responsibility and engagement in citizenship issues. These findings suggest that mindfulness techniques can positively impact the perception of well-being in patients suffering from chronic fibromyalgia pain. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of deepening our understanding of the theme in question through future research.