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Meditation and its psychological effects
Effects of mindfulness meditation essay
Easy on meditation _A medicine for the mind
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Mindfulness Meditation has been present in cultures, societies and spiritual teachings for thousands of years. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that focuses awareness on breathing and encourages positive attitudes to achieve a healthy balanced mental state. [Mosby’s medical dictionary] The benefits of meditation have mostly been anecdotal. However, in recent decades, meditation has been studied which has led to a better understanding of the effects on the mind. Meditation can have many positive results, such as helping treat depression and anxiety, reducing the need for medications associated with these troubling disorders, and improving daily life through practicing mindfulness mediation.
I was stricken with a bout of depression and anxiety
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Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy [MBCT] is an eight-week systematic plan of therapy courses that teach clients the art of mindfulness meditation. They gain the ability to rethink themselves, apart from their thoughts and feelings, which are the main cause of their problems. Instead they focus on modifying their mental state (body and mind) through breathing and meditation. The Cambridge group conducted a randomised control study, in which they found that the group practising MBCT had more positive results than the control group (the group treated with anti-depressants) as 64% did not relapse from their depression after the follow up, whereas the control group only had a 22% rate without relapse. Other results showed that the group practicing mindfulness meditation was 3 times more likely to avoid relapse. Not only is the relapse rate much lower with MBCT, but also there are no harmful side effects associated with it, as it is practicing the art of mindfulness meditation paired with gentle therapy questions. Mindfulness meditation directly deals with modifying the negative emotions and thoughts of an individual, where medications cause chemical changes in the brain that is generally not healthy [APA]. The triggers of depression and anxiety are imbedded in the brain of the sufferers, …show more content…
Claire Morgan, a 35-year-old biologist, “self-described optimist”, was struggling with her finances, and her relationship with her boyfriend was having troubles. She than starting experiencing unusual symptoms, out of nowhere she began feeling very agitated; she couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t sleep at night and felt shaky, common signs of depression and anxiety. After six weeks she went to visit her doctor and he immediately diagnosed depression and anxiety. She wasn’t sure about it, since she was experiencing other symptoms like diarrhea, weight loss and vomiting. He prescribed her an antidepressant. This only made her feel worse; she developed the shakes as well as suicidal thoughts. Her general practitioner changed the medication three weeks later, and after mentioning her suicidal thoughts to her doctor she was put under the supervision of a mental health team. Six weeks later she was put on another anti-depressant, also a tranquillizer and an anti-psychotic. Claire now sleeping 14 hours a day and not being able to work, she had to live off of her boyfriend’s earnings. 'I was zombified, but still felt the anxiety and the terror, and that didn't seem right. However, my doctor simply increased my dose.' After six straining months of seemingly endless miserableness the doctor knew it wasn’t working. The doctor suggested to Claire electric shock therapy, she
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method of correcting invalid thought patterns to a more positive view of the person and their place in their world. Some people do not believe that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a real treatment for depression, claiming it is a form of positive thinking ("The Daily Mail," 2009). On the opposite end of the spectrum, others argue that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy should be used in all therapies for depression as it allows the patient to take an active role in their treatment. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the benefit of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a viable treatment of depression, either as a stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with other therapies.
Mindfulness is a concept or practice that was founded nearly 2600 years ago. It is a very integral component of the Buddhist faith and is believed to be associated with many benefits including self-control, tolerance, flexibility, objectivity, concentration, mental clarity, emotional intelligence, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and equanimity.
Most of us are so over scheduled and busy we hardly have to time to stop and think about
For thousands of years people have practiced mediation for spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. Albeit there are many mediation types, in this paper I will be discussing and focusing on mindfulness mediation. Before further exploring mindfulness mediation, it is crucial to define mediation as a whole. Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016 state “Meditation can be defined as a form of mental training that aims to improve an individual’s core psychological capacities, such as attentional and emotional capacities” (p.213). Having that in mind, we can dive into mindfulness mediation. Mindfulness meditation is defined as “nonjudgmental attention to present-moment experiences (Tang, Holzel, & Posner, 2016).” A useful analogy to consider is going to the gym, going to the gym allows one to enhance the body, well similarly, practicing mindfulness is akin to taking the mind to the psychic gym, it enhances it. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on your breathing and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present all while dismissing discursive thoughts and maintaining a special focus on breathing.
Mindfulness is an ideal that has been present for thousands of years (positivepsychologyprogram.com). It has roots in almost every major religion: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and most renown, Buddhism and Hinduism (positivepsychologyprogram.com). Psychology Today defines mindfulness as “a state of active, open attention on the present.” Dr. Shauna Shapiro during a TEDx Talk defines mindfulness as “intentionally paying attention with kindness” (Shapiro, S., 2017). Mindfulness has many principles involved with it, but the short version is to be aware. It is to be aware of the present moment deliberately. Jon Kabat-Zinn, considered the father of the western movement for mindfulness by some, defines mindfulness as, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Bodhipaksa, 2007). We, as humans, get caught up in the business of life; so, we need to stay oriented to the present. Another way to describe this is “acting with awareness rather than on ‘automatic autopilot’” (Caldwell, et al, 2010). Mindfulness is non-judgmental about life. Mindfulness is to not be over-reactive by what’s going on around us (mindful.org). Mindfulness is being non-reactive to your environment. There are many things that stem from this thinking,
The studies showed that while meditated, the subjects showed signs of thought processes slowing down and changes occurring in the brain. The purpose of meditation, and mindfulness meditation as mentioned in this course, is to increase awareness while calming the normal thought processes that often overcrowd the mind with ideas that are deemed not-true by Buddhism. These brain scans clearly show that the purpose of meditation is achieved in doing so.
Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, as a therapeutic technique. The M square, as I call it, which stands for Mindfulness and Meditation is making an impact on today’s society, as it has been used by more people with each passing day. They are starting to acknowledge the benefits, some of which are the improvement in both mental and physical health, acceptance of one’s self, lower stress and depression, and maybe more, but to mention a few. Not excluding these two great men: Dr. Martinez, a Biocognitive Psychologist, and Keith Mitchell, an ex-American football linebacker in the National Football League. Both Dr. Martinez and Keith are strong supporters and practitioners of meditation and mindfulness.
From personal experience, mindfulness meditation gives me a feeling of obtaining a healthy mind and body from the attention and peace I obtained. Such feelings resulting from proper practice of mindfulness meditation is not limited to my own testimony though. According to the Satipatthana Sutra, those who practice such in-and-out breathing become “ardent, aware, and mindful” (“Satipatthana Sutra,” Accessed on 2010). However, it is unclear whether such reported experience is genuine or has effect, or if such mindfulness meditation is similar to a placebo effect.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
To begin with, mindfulness is when someone can pay attention to the present moment “without being devoted to different points of view” (Martin, 1997). Along with staying focused on the present moment, mindfulness is when the particular person does not judge the current experience as the person tries to comprehend the present situation. Mindfulness makes a person reflect on one’s self by not only figuring out one’s thoughts, but also the feelings that go along with it. The complex nature of mindfulness demonstrates that it has multiple purposes that cultivates a person into realizing the potential of the brain (Davis & Hayes,
I was very skeptical and cautious about the lesson on meditation. A few years back I had taken a course on relaxation, which I had found to be only somewhat helpful. I was hoping to find another alternative to calm myself and release the stress. Although I became disbelieving of meditation-I was proved wrong.
Meditation allows you to lessen the voices inside your head so that you could increase your present moment awareness. It is like a reset button that allows you to think new thoughts without any resistance.
In the past two decades, many philosophers, spiritual leaders, and psychological transitions have accentuated the importance of the quality of consciousness for the maintenance and enhancement of well-being. One of the characteristics of consciousness that has been discussed in relation to well-being is mindfulness. In concentration with the psychology discipline, mindfulness meditation practices have been increasingly used to treat a majority of pain, stress and anxiety-related conditions and also, increasing well-being. The ideology of mindfulness meditation has core roots in Buddhist philosophy and other pensive traditions where awareness and conscious attention are actively cultured (Brown, Kirk Warren,2003).
It is well known and proven that over time the benefits of meditating on a regular basis promotes the development of inner calmness, connectedness, focus, flow, a clear clarity of mind, a focused and more stable grounded concentration, along with coherency of thought, increased creativity, being more open and receptive to receive insights, solutions to problems and new ideas, a balanced and harmonious centred inner equilibrium, a relaxed happy body, mind and spirit, which in turn assists as a preventative tool that creates and maintains positive overall vibrant health and wellbeing.
First, I will present the research of the physical effects that meditation has on our body’s major internal systems and other common physical chronic conditions. Secondly, I will discuss how meditation practices can impact one 's mental and emotional health. Lastly, I will offer a definition of spirituality and how meditation can bring positive spiritual results.