Meditation is a mental discipline that is aimed at achieving complete relaxation. It is often promoted as an alternative to tranquilizers and painkillers in the management of emotional stress and physical pain.
Origins
This ancient art has been used for centuries by both healers and spiritual leaders. It is a central practice in many Eastern religions. Buddhist spiritual leaders, for example, believe that meditation frees the mind to release its healing power. In the United States, widespread interest in meditation dates to the 1960s when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi came from India to teach his technique. Called transcendental meditation, it requires pline other than the chanting of, or concentration on, a specific sound or thought during two daily half hour sessions. By the early I970s, some 90,000 men and women had tried this form of meditation, and many of them volunteered as subjects of medical studies to document its effects. The University of Massachusetts Medical School became the first in this country to establish a clinic whose prime purpose is intensive training in meditative disciplines.
Practitioners
Classes in meditation are sometimes conducted by physicians, psychologists, and physical therapists, as well as by yoga instructors, acupuncturists, and other alternative practitioners. Therapists trained in the techniques have been conducting classes in schools of the performing arts, and they are being invited into the corporate world to teach meditation for stress management. Some have also put their instructions on tapes and in books for home use.
When It Is Used
Meditation is used as a means of managing pain, coping with psychological stress, overcoming insomnia, and dealing with panic and anxiety. It is also an adjunct to conventional medicine in controlling asthma, high blood pressure, angina, and other chronic disorders.
How It Works
Research indicates that meditation produces changes in the nervous system that are the opposite of the “fight or flight” response to danger. Specifically, meditation appears to reduce the body’s production of cortisol, the hormone that triggers the response. Reduced cortisol levels foster relaxation. Western researchers, who have studied the physical effects of meditation on yogis and Zen Buddhists as they are in the process of using it, have found that it slows metabolism, reduces oxygen consumption, and lowers carbon dioxide production. Brain studies done in the United States and in Japan indicate that there is also an increase in alpha brain waves, which normally occur during relaxation.
What To Expect
As the aim of meditation is to achieve a heightened sense of mindfulness through concentration, activities are geared to this goal. For example,Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn, a psychologist who pioneered the use of meditation in pain management, starts by urging members of a group to concentrate totally on each detail of a raisin: its appearance, feel, smell, taste, texture, and so on. Participants are then asked to transfer this heightened awareness to their breathing. Finally, they are instructed to focus completely on their pain, so they can begin to gain control over it. The ability to concentrate on breathing to the exclusion of all other activities also has a calming effect, which can help overcome anxiety and relieve panic attacks. By focusing entirely on taking in and letting out one deep breath at a time, a person can control the feelings of panic.
Precautions
- If you’re experiencing pain or other distressing symptoms, consult a doctor for a diagnosis before you join a meditation group.
- Although meditation lowers blood pressure, the effect is usually temporary. Hence, the technique should be used in conjunction with, not as a substitute for, conventional hypertension therapy.