A body scan may ease pain’s distress more than the pain itself

Key takeaways

• In a 2014 trial of 55 clinic patients with chronic pain, a 10-minute body scan eased pain-related distress more than a control recording did, but the study reported no edge for pain severity.
• A 2019 follow-up pilot with 147 patients found no immediate effects, though a month later the body-scan group felt more confident managing pain.
• A 2017 review of 38 trials found that mindfulness meditation programs eased chronic pain only slightly, with low-quality evidence, but improved depression a little, with high-quality evidence.
• A 2025 review of 29 trials found mindfulness training raised people’s self-reported body awareness by a small to medium amount.
• For some trauma survivors, focusing inward can stir up flashbacks or dissociation; a trauma-sensitive approach adapts the practice, for example with eyes open, a shorter scan or movement.

In 1973, Jon Kabat-Zinn trained with Robert Hover, an aerospace engineer who had become a meditation teacher in the tradition of the Burmese teacher U Ba Khin¹.

On a retreat in that style, Kabat-Zinn described pain more intense than any he had known. He came away with an idea: people who live with pain might learn to befriend unwanted sensations instead of fighting them¹.

Six years later, during a two-week retreat in 1979, he had a brief vision of a clinical program¹. It became mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR. One of its core practices, the body scan, carries traces of that Burmese method¹.

Decades on, researchers put a 10-minute version to the test. In a trial of 55 pain-clinic patients, the body scan eased how distressing their pain felt, at least in the clinic. The study reported no such edge for how severe the pain was².

That gap, between the hurt and the suffering around it, is the heart of what a body scan can and can’t do. This guide covers where the practice came from, what the evidence shows, who should go gently, and two scripts to try.

The body scan grew from a Burmese “sweeping” practice

The line runs through Myanmar, then called Burma. The Buddhist monk Ledi Sayadaw (1846–1923) taught insight meditation to laypeople¹. His follower Saya Thet Gyi, a lay teacher, taught U Ba Khin, who began practicing in 1937¹.

In U Ba Khin’s method, also taught by his student S.N. Goenka, attention sweeps over the body from head to feet and back, sometimes probing inside¹. The point isn’t anatomy. It’s to feel sensations arise and pass, and so to see impermanence, called anicca, firsthand¹.

Buddhist scholar Bhikkhu Anālayo has traced the practice’s roots. He concludes that a body scan as such probably wasn’t part of early Buddhism¹. Early instructions to contemplate the body “from the soles of the feet” up likely meant covering the whole body, not a step-by-step tour¹.

MBSR adapted the method in two big ways. It’s secular, aimed at stress and pain rather than spiritual insight. And it’s usually done lying down, which Anālayo calls a skillful way to reach people in pain¹. Naming those roots honors the Burmese teachers whose method now reaches hospitals and pain clinics.

A body scan notices, but it doesn’t try to relax you

In the MBSR version, attention starts at the toes of the left foot. It travels up the leg and hip, then to the other foot and leg, the torso, the hands and arms, and finally the neck and head¹. The aim is awareness without reacting¹.

You might notice warmth, pressure, tingling, the touch of clothing, or nothing at all. All of it counts. Kabat-Zinn has also suggested sensing how the breath moves through each region¹.

That makes it different from progressive muscle relaxation, which has you tense and release each muscle group. Anālayo stresses that a body scan isn’t merely relaxation¹. You may feel calmer, but the goal is to notice what’s there, pleasant or not.

Our article on relaxation before bed covers progressive muscle relaxation, and our article on meditation for sleep covers the body scan as a sleep aid.

Ten minutes eased pain’s distress, but a larger follow-up found less

The 2014 trial, led by Michael Ussher with colleagues at St George’s, University of London, randomly assigned 55 adult outpatients with chronic pain to one of two 10-minute recordings². One was a guided body scan. The other was a talk about how pain naturally behaves over time².

Each person listened twice within 24 hours: once in the clinic and once in their usual surroundings². A majority chose to sit rather than lie down¹.

In the clinic, the body scan cut pain-related distress more than the control recording did. It also eased the sense that pain would get in the way of social life². The study reported no such difference for pain severity².

At home, none of the ratings differed². The authors said the benefits needed confirming in daily life².

The same research group then ran a larger pilot, published in 2019. Of 220 people with persistent pain who were referred, 147 were randomly assigned to a 15-minute body scan recording or an active control, then used it on their own for a month³.

This time there were no significant effects right after the session³. After a week, the body-scan group rated its recording as more useful. After a month, it reported higher pain self-efficacy, meaning confidence that you can manage your pain³. Only 71 people finished every assessment, so the authors called for better ways to keep people in the study³.

Evidence label: promising but early. A single short scan may take the edge off pain’s distress for some people. It isn’t a painkiller.

Full mindfulness programs help pain a little and mood more

Most body scan research tests it inside a larger program, such as MBSR, which pairs the scan with practices like sitting meditation and mindful yoga⁴.

In 2017, RAND Corporation researchers reviewed 38 randomized trials of mindfulness meditation for chronic pain, with 3,536 people⁵. Mindfulness eased pain by a small amount, but the evidence was rated low quality because results varied widely and publication bias was possible⁵. When the reviewers kept only fair- or good-quality trials, the benefit shrank further⁵.

The mood findings were firmer. Depression symptoms improved slightly, with high-quality evidence, and mental-health quality of life improved by a moderate amount⁵. The U.S. Department of Defense funded the review⁵.

That pattern echoes the 2014 body scan trial. Mindfulness seems to change a person’s relationship to pain more than the raw signal.

Studies of the scan alone are few. A 2021 Syracuse University dissertation described itself as the first review of the body scan outside multipart programs⁷. In a 2013 study of 141 college students, everyone improved after three weekly sessions of a body scan, sitting meditation or mindful yoga, but the body scan did less than the other two to ease trouble managing emotions⁴.

Interoception is the inner sense a body scan exercises

Interoception is how your nervous system senses signals from inside your body: your heartbeat, breathing, hunger, a full bladder or a knot in your stomach⁶. It can be measured with lab tests or with questionnaires that ask how you relate to those signals⁶.

In 2025, a team including interoception researcher Sahib Khalsa pooled 29 randomized trials with 2,191 people⁶. Mindfulness training raised self-reported interoception by a small to medium amount⁶. Eight-week programs closely modeled on MBSR (which includes body scans) or MBCT showed the largest effect⁶.

The analysis was preregistered, meaning the plan was posted in advance, and found no sign of publication bias⁶. One author was supported by NCCIH grants, and the team declared no competing interests⁶.

Two caveats apply. The results rest mostly on one questionnaire, so they reflect how people rate their awareness rather than how accurately they sense their bodies⁶. And in a small 2022 study, two weeks of daily body scans didn’t raise that same body-awareness score more than listening to TED talks did⁸.

Interoception also explains why body focus can backfire. Citing earlier research, the 2025 paper notes that “interoceptive catastrophizing,” a habit of over-reading and exaggerating body symptoms, is common in panic disorder, generalized anxiety and somatic symptom disorder⁶. For them, a slow scan of every twinge can feel like a symptom search.

When tuning in to the body feels worse

Tuning in to the body isn’t a neutral experience for everyone.

Psychotherapist David Treleaven, in his 2018 book Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, argues that mindfulness practiced without awareness of trauma can intensify traumatic stress⁹. Survivors who focus closely on inner sensations may run into flashbacks, dissociation (feeling detached from your body or surroundings) or retraumatization, being overwhelmed by the trauma all over again⁹. His book organizes its advice around five principles: arousal, attention, dissociation, relationship and social context⁹.

NIH’s integrative health center, NCCIH, adds that relaxation practices can occasionally raise anxiety or bring intrusive thoughts, and rarely may worsen symptoms in people with a history of abuse or trauma¹⁰. Harms aren’t well tracked: in the 2017 pain review, only 7 of 38 trials reported on adverse events at all⁵.

None of this means trauma survivors or anxious people must avoid the practice. It means the standard script, eyes closed, lying still, moving slowly through every part, isn’t the only way. Our article on meditation groups covers adverse effects in more depth, and our upcoming article on trauma goes further.

Try it: a 10-minute body scan, a 3-minute mini scan and gentler options

For natural-health readers, the body scan is a way to listen to your body rather than override it. It costs nothing and asks you to notice before you judge. These scripts are our own. Read them a few times, record yourself, or follow along slowly.

The 10-minute body scan

1. Settle (1 minute). Sit in a supportive chair or lie on your back. Eyes open with a soft gaze, or closed. Feel the points where your body touches the chair or floor.
2. Feet (1 minute). Bring attention to your toes, soles and heels. Notice temperature, pressure, tingling, or no sensation at all. Blank spots are normal.
3. Legs (2 minutes). Move slowly up through ankles, calves, knees and thighs. If you find tightness or pain, notice its edges and texture for a breath or two, then move on.
4. Hips, belly and back (2 minutes). Notice the belly rising and falling with each breath. Feel the back against the chair or floor.
5. Hands and arms (1 minute). Fingers, palms, wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms.
6. Shoulders, neck and face (2 minutes). Notice the shoulders, throat, jaw, cheeks, eyes and forehead. If the jaw is clenched, simply note it.
7. Whole body (1 minute). Widen your attention to the body as one breathing whole. Then look around the room, wiggle your fingers and toes, and get up slowly.

When your mind wanders, and it will, notice where it went and return to the last spot you remember. That return is the exercise.

The 3-minute mini scan

1. Contact (1 minute). Notice your feet on the floor, your seat on the chair and your hands wherever they rest.
2. Three sweeps (1 minute). Head and shoulders, then chest and belly, then hips, legs and feet. A few seconds each, twice through.
3. One anchor (1 minute). Pick a neutral spot, like the palms or the soles, and rest your attention there for a few breaths. Then go back to your day.

What the evidence says, rated

Claim	What studies found	Evidence level
A brief body scan eases pain-related distress	Helped in the clinic, not at home, in a 2014 trial; no immediate effect in a 2019 pilot23	Promising but early
A body scan alone lowers pain intensity	No reported difference from a control recording2	Not enough evidence
Mindfulness programs reduce chronic pain	Small effect; low-quality evidence5	Promising but early
Mindfulness programs ease depression in chronic pain	Small effect; high-quality evidence5	Strong evidence
Mindfulness training raises self-rated body awareness	29 trials, small to medium effect, mostly one questionnaire6	Promising but early
A body scan treats trauma or PTSD	No trials found in our research	Not enough evidence

When to stop and get help

Stop the practice, open your eyes and ground yourself in the room if you notice flashbacks, a sense of being detached from your body, or panic that keeps building⁹¹⁰. If it keeps happening, talk with a mental health professional before you continue⁹¹³.

Get help if:

• anxiety or low mood is severe or lasts a long time¹⁰;
• after a frightening or traumatic event, reactions such as anxiety, poor sleep or trouble concentrating last a long time and get in the way of relationships or work¹²;
• pain is new, getting worse or unexplained; NCCIH advises against using meditation as a reason to put off seeing a provider¹¹.

If you’re struggling or have thoughts of harming yourself, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or chat at 988lifeline.org¹²¹³. The Lifeline offers 24-hour, confidential support¹³. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911¹².

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

The body scan carries a Burmese meditation method into modern clinics. Its best-supported benefit is changing how pain and stress feel, the distress and struggle around them, rather than erasing the pain itself. Even that evidence is early, with small trials and mixed results.

It’s free and low risk for most people, and it trains a skill, noticing your body without judging it, that many natural-health readers already value. If tuning in makes things worse, adapt it, shorten it, or set it aside and get support.

Related reading

• Watching your breath eases stress a little, while forceful breathwork near water can kill
• Mindfulness beat sleep-hygiene classes in a trial, but CBT-I still leads for insomnia
• The viral “military sleep method” hasn’t been tested in trials, unlike older relaxation methods
• What meditation groups can do, and what they can stir up
• Mindful walking eased stress in small trials, and the walking itself deserves some credit

Sources

1. Anālayo Bh. “Buddhist Antecedents to the Body Scan Meditation.” Mindfulness, 11(1):194-202, first published 2018 (University of Hamburg copy). buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de
2. Ussher M, Spatz A, Copland C, Nicolaou A, Cargill A, Amini-Tabrizi N, McCracken LM. “Immediate effects of a brief mindfulness-based body scan on patients with chronic pain.” Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2014;37(1):127-134 (University of Stirling repository). dspace.stir.ac.uk
3. Howarth A, Riaz M, Perkins-Porras L, et al. “Pilot randomised controlled trial of a brief mindfulness-based intervention for those with persistent pain.” Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 2019;42(6):999-1014 (St George’s, University of London repository). openaccess.sgul.ac.uk
4. Sauer-Zavala SE, Walsh EC, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Lykins ELB. “Comparing Mindfulness-Based Intervention Strategies: Differential Effects of Sitting Meditation, Body Scan, and Mindful Yoga.” Mindfulness, 2013;4(4):383-388 (University of Kentucky record). scholars.uky.edu
5. Hilton L, Hempel S, Ewing BA, et al. “Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2017;51:199-213 (online 2016; RAND record). link.springer.com ; rand.org
6. Treves IN, Chen Y-Y, Wilson CL, et al. “A meta-analysis of the effects of mindfulness meditation training on self-reported interoception.” Scientific Reports, 2025;15:38889 (eScholarship copy). escholarship.org
7. Morton M. “A Systematic Review of the Effects of the Body Scan on Stress and Psychopathology.” Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University, 2021. surface.syr.edu
8. Guthrie T, Matthews JR, Chambers R, et al. “Changes in Multisensory Integration Following Brief State Induction and Longer-Term Training with Body Scan Meditation.” Mindfulness, 2022;13:1214-1231. link.springer.com
9. Treleaven DA. Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing. W. W. Norton, 2018 (library catalog record). sip.grpl.org
10. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know.” NIH, updated June 2021. nccih.nih.gov
11. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety.” NIH, updated June 2022. nccih.nih.gov
12. National Institute of Mental Health. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” NIH, reviewed December 2024. nimh.nih.gov
13. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Anxiety and Complementary Health Approaches.” NIH, updated September 2024. nccih.nih.gov