Distraction and Redefinition in the Reduction of Low and High Intensity Experimentally-Induced Pain

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Abstract
Subjects underwent either low intensity or high intensity acute focal pressure pain of relatively short duration on a baseline and posttest trial. On the posttest subjects in each intensity condition either engaged in distraction (shadowing letters), attended to sensations (redefinition) or were given no treatment (controls). Distraction was more effective than redefinition at reducing rated pain and at enhancing pain tolerance for subjects in the high intensity condition. Subjects who scored as repressors gave lower pain ratings than sensitizers. Moreover, in the high intensity condition repressors given distraction reported significant increases in pain tolerance while sensitizers given distraction showed no changes in tolerance.