Patients in chronic pain may be able to reduce their suffering through a method reminiscent of the Vulcan mind control employed by Dr Spock in Star Trek.

Using high-tech imaging equipment in an experiment, patients were able to study their brains in real time and, through mental exercises, control activity in one of the pain centres.

After practice, they were able to think away some of the pain, says a team at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The scientists believe that the new technique has potential for long-term treatment. “We believe these subjects and patients really learned to control their brain and, through that, their pain,” says Dr Sean Mackey, co-author of the study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We could change people’s lives,” he says. “However, significantly more science and testing must be done.”

Using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging, or rtfMRI, scientists placed subjects inside an MRI scanner where they were able to watch their brain activity.

Laura Tibbitt, 31, one of the subjects, who suffers chronic back pain from a riding accident seven years ago, said she used different thoughts to decrease the pain. “I would think of little people on my back digging out the pain, or I’d think of snowflakes,” she said.

In the past, the study noted, people have learned to control other autonomic functions like heart rate.

4 ways to manage chronic pain at home

1 Get enough sleep every night. If you are tired during the day and have trouble sleeping, try to set a bedtime and a wake-up time and stick to them even on weekends. This helps your body get used to a regular sleep time.

2 Exercise regularly with aerobics — such as swimming, cycling and walking — to build up your health. Water exercises may be helpful in reducing pains that get worse during weight-bearing activities, such as walking.

3 Schedule your works so that you are most active when you have the most energy. Learn to move in ways that are less likely to make your pain worse. Eat a balanced diet. Good nutrition will help you stay healthy.

4 Take a daily multivitamin that contains vitamin D. Not getting enough vitamin D in your diet may contribute to chronic pain. Vitamin D is needed for bone and muscle strength.