Shepherd Center

“It’s just progress every day… it has been life changing.” — Elizabeth Wilcox, Shepherd Center patient living with chronic pain.

At Shepherd Center, patients are discovering new ways to navigate life with chronic pain through mindfulness and meditation — building tools that support both their bodies and their minds.

To further support patients in their journeys, a pilot study funded by the Samsky Spine and Pain Research Fund aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness meditation training program and to determine whether it could lead to improved pain coping and increased health-related quality of life.

As part of this study, our research team guided participants like Elizabeth Wilcox, who has experienced chronic pain since a spinal cord injury, through practices such as visual meditation, sound baths, breathing techniques, guided body scans, and mindful eating.

As Elizabeth shared, “learning which ways to meditate… which ones work for me” has been key to her healing.

Similarly, for Paul Fleming, a long-time patient at Shepherd Center’s Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute, the impact has been just as meaningful. He reflected, “My pain levels have gone down… I’m sleeping seven hours very easily… I’m waking up with a lot of energy.” Through mindfulness techniques like box breathing and nervous system resets, Paul has found new ways to manage his symptoms day to day.

Spearheading this work are Erica Sutton, MA, CRC, clinical research coordinator and principal investigator of the study, and Alexandra Juarez, EP, RYT 200 HR, who helped guide participants through each session. Working in tandem, they introduced a variety of mindfulness practices and created space for participants to reflect, connect, and build routines that work for them. As Erica shares, the goal is not to cure pain, but to help patients “build a better relationship with how they navigate and manage life with chronic pain.”

These benefits extend well beyond physical outcomes. As Paul describes it, “It’s a healing of the soul…you really get in touch with yourself.” And for Elizabeth, that healing has meant reconnecting with her life, her community, and herself.

Looking ahead, this research is just the beginning, with the hope of expanding into larger studies and bringing these tools into future clinical care.

At Shepherd Center, recovery supports the whole person, creating space for physical, mental, and emotional healing.

To learn more about this study and other research projects, click the link below.

https://bit.ly/4nWDFmB