Those suffering from chronic migraines may be able to seek relief through meditation, according to a new study.

A migraine is a severe form of headache which causes significant throbbing or pulsing sensations in one area of the head. It may also be accompanied by other symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light.

Researchers from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center designed the study to analyze the safety, efficacy and feasibility of standard yoga and meditation intervention, dubbed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). This intervention was used on a group of adults suffering regular migraines.

Lead study author Rebecca Erwin Wells, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist, and colleagues sought to identify specific meditation interventions to deal with stress-triggered migraines.

Nineteen participants suffering migraines were assigned to two groups. Ten of them received meditation intervention for eight weekly classes to learn MBSR techniques, while the other group received standard medical care.

“We found that the MBSR participants had trends of fewer migraines that were less severe. Secondary effects included headaches that were shorter in duration and less disabling, and participants had increases in mindfulness and self-efficacy — a sense of personal control over their migraines. In addition, there were no adverse events and excellent adherence,” said Wells in a statement.

In particular, those who received MBSR intervention suffered 1.4 fewer migraines each month that were much less painful, in comparison to the control group.

The findings of the study are published in the the journal Headache.