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Meditation Therapy |
| Consider This
Therapy For |
| The calming mental exercises of
meditation are a proven antidote for
stress, tension, anxiety, and panic.
Meditation is also a scientifically
verified way to reduce high blood pressure
and relieve chronic pain. Many people find
it helpful for headaches and respiratory
problems such as emphysema and asthma.
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| How the
Treatments Are Done |
Meditation is a deliberate suspension
of the stream of consciousness that
usually occupies the mind. Its primary
goal is to induce mental tranquillity and
physical relaxation. There are many
different approaches to meditation, each
with its own specialized techniques.
However, all have a few requirements in
common:
- A quiet environment where you won't
be disturbed
- A comfortable position, usually
sitting in a straight-backed chair
- A point of focus for your mind
Most people take lessons in
meditation, but it's possible to teach
yourself, using books or videos and
applying some basic principles. At the
outset, whatever the form of meditation,
you need to wear comfortable clothes and
assume a sitting position. Most people
choose to sit in a straight-backed chair,
although some find it comfortable to sit
in the classic meditating position,
cross-legged on the floor. Either way, the
spine should be vertical. Slow, rhythmic
breathing is a necessity in all forms of
meditation, although each approach has a
different way of achieving this. As you
sit quietly and breathe rhythmically, you
must focus on something--it may be your
own breathing; or an image such as a
religious symbol, a flower, or a candle;
or a word or phrase repeated rhythmically.
This word or phrase is called a mantra.
Many people prefer to keep their eyes
closed during meditation, to avoid visual
distractions and enhance concentration.
Some people use soothing music. Try to
stay as still as possible throughout the
meditation period and let your attention,
as much as possible, be passive. If you
catch your mind wandering, try to refocus
on the image or mantra you're using. Most
people find that, as they gain practice,
their random thoughts diminish, and the
meditative state becomes more natural and
instinctive.
Approaches to meditation fall into
three major categories:
Transcendental Meditation (TM).
This is the most common form of meditation
in the western world. It involves mental
repetition of a mantra, usually a Sanskrit
sound provided by the instructor. TM
practitioners sit upright in a
straight-backed chair with their eyes
closed, and meditate for 15 to 20 minutes
twice a day, morning and evening. A
nonreligious off-shoot of TM has been
developed by Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard
University, with the sole goal of
achieving the relaxation response that TM
is known to trigger.
Mindfulness Meditation. An
outgrowth of a Buddhist tradition called
vipassana, this form of meditation
focuses on the present moment. A favored
technique in mindfulness meditation
(shared with other forms) is the body
scan, in which you move your focus through
the body, from the tips of the toes to the
top of the head, paying particular
attention to any areas that cause pain or
suffer from a medical problem (for
example, the lungs for asthma, the
pancreas for diabetes, the heart for heart
disease). The body scan is usually done
while lying down.
Breath Meditation. This
technique calls for concentration on
respiration, the process of inhaling and
exhaling. In other respects it is similar
to TM and other forms of meditation.
No matter which approach you adopt,
each session typically takes 15 to 20
minutes, once in the morning and again in
the evening. Advocates recommend
scheduling your sessions for the same
times each day, before rather than after
eating. |
| What Treatment
Hopes to Accomplish |
| By relaxing the body and calming the
mind, meditation seeks to alleviate the
harmful effects of tension and
stress--factors that are known to
aggravate a number of medical conditions.
Although meditation has its roots in
Eastern religious practices, its health
benefits are independent of its spiritual
aspects. Each practitioner can bring his
or her own beliefs and world view to the
meditative experience.
Meditation has measurable effects on
the pattern of electrical impulses flowing
through the brain. Studies with an
electroencephalograph (EEG) show that it
boosts the intensity of the alpha waves
associated with quiet, receptive states to
levels not even seen during sleep. Other
studies show increased synchronization of
brain waves between the two hemispheres of
the brain during meditation, lower levels
of stress hormones, and improved
circulation. Levels of lactic acid, a
potential by-product of tension and
anxiety, drop after meditation. When
practiced for an extended period of time,
meditation has also been found to reduce
oxygen consumption, slow the heart rate,
and bring down blood pressure.
Devotees of meditation often claim that
it improves their memory and other mental
abilities, protects them from disease, and
reduces their use of alcohol and drugs.
Some studies have found that long-standing
practitioners (those who've been
meditating for several years or more) tend
to make fewer doctor's visits than non-meditators.
Other studies have found that meditation
can reduce or reverse cardiovascular
disease; improve the ability to cope with
chronic illness; reduce anxiety, panic,
and fear of open spaces; and relieve mild
depression, insomnia, tension headache,
irritable bowel syndrome, and premenstrual
syndrome. One study of mindful meditation
found that it reduced the rate of relapse
in those with emotional disorders.
Meditation has even been found to increase
the longevity of healthy older adults.
Pain relief is another of meditation's
more successful applications. While it
can't completely eliminate discomfort, it
does help people cope by reducing their
tension and anxiety. For instance, the
deep breathing exercises taught in
childbirth classes are a form of
meditation that helps women cope with the
pain of labor and delivery. |
| Who Should Avoid
This Therapy? |
| Some people may be temperamentally
unable to achieve the tranquillity of
meditation, and unsuccessful attempts may
actually aggravate their stress and
anxiety. Meditation can also prove
counterproductive for people who are
working on strengthening ego boundaries,
releasing powerful emotions, or working
through complex relationship problems.
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| What Side
Effects May Occur? |
| For a few people, meditation can
provoke the very problems it's supposed to
defeat: fear, anxiety, confusion,
depression, and self-doubt. During the
first ten minutes of meditation, as you
unwind into a state of deep relaxation,
it's possible for unsettling thoughts to
pop up, disrupting relaxation. The problem
is most common among beginners, but
occasionally crops up in the more
experienced. |
| How to Choose a
Therapist |
| There is no licensing or certification
procedure for teachers of meditation, and
no central directory of practitioners. The
transcendental meditation method has a
number of "universities" around the
country, run by the Maharishi Vedic
Education Development Corporation.
However, if you want to avoid the expense
of a "university education," there are
plenty of other options available. Some
hospitals, clinics, or private practices
maintain relationships with meditation
instructors and may be able to refer you
to one. Holistic health centers can also
provide referrals, as can many of the
books on the market. Look for someone who
is experienced, and whose personality and
approach you feel comfortable with. |
| When Should
Treatment Stop? |
| If you find that meditation is
increasing your anxiety or depression,
or that it just doesn't feel right, it's a
good idea to stop. (Some people find one
approach more comfortable than another, so
you might want to try another technique
before giving up on meditation entirely.)
If, on the other hand, meditation
yields the tranquillity and relaxation for
which it's intended, it can be continued
for a lifetime. |
| See a
Conventional Doctor If... |
| Although meditation can provide
significant relief from anxiety and
stress-related conditions such as high
blood pressure, it's more of a coping tool
than a curing tool. See a conventional
doctor for any continuing medical
symptoms--such as headaches, shortness of
breath, fatigue, or chronic pain--that may
have prompted you to try meditation.
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