With individuals choosing alternatives to traditional, medication-oriented treatment for diseases, disorders, and chronic conditions, the clinical use and popularity of meditation have grown tremendously in the last few decades in the United States. Scientific research on the effects and benefits of meditation has also increased. It was the first mind-body intervention to be adopted by mainstream healthcare providers and incorporated into evidence-based therapeutic programs for a wide range of diseases, disorders, and conditions. Medical benefits of most types of meditation include improving hypertension, managing the stress of chronic illness, and promoting cardiovascular health. The long-term practice of meditation may slow and perhaps stop cortical atrophy and cognitive decline. Possible psychological benefits of meditation include decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety, abstinence from drug abuse, and a reduction in self-injurious behaviors of individuals with personality disorders (Dakwar & Levin, 2009; Walton, 2017).
The following video discusses the health benefits of meditation.
The Benefits of Meditation–Jon Kabat-Zinn
Used with permission from: http://whatmeditationreallyis.com
The word “meditation” is derived from the Latin word meditor, which means to reflect, ponder over, or consider. Meditation originated as a healing and spiritual practice in many parts of the world over 5,000 years ago.
Individuals from all walks of life practice meditation, adhering to the fundamental principles of reflection and quiet thought to bring about a state of peace. The various types of meditation may include specific features such as focused attention, relaxed breathing, a quiet setting, prayer, reflection, and focused attention on a sacred object or being. There’s no right way or wrong way to meditate. It can be done by anyone, of any age, in any location.
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION™
The Mayo Clinic (2018), states Transcendental Meditation is a simple, natural technique…This form of meditation allows your body to settle into a state of profound rest and relaxation and your mind to achieve a state of inner peace, without needing to use concentration or effort (Transcendental Meditation, 2018). Shear (2006) describes Transcendental Meditation as “an effortless mental technique that quickly and easily enables any ordinary person to experience the source of thought deep within his or her own mind” (p. 23). According to Shear, the immediate goal of Transcendental Meditation is to “bring forth the latent potential each of our minds has to experience bliss, freedom, higher states of consciousness, and fulfillment in daily life. The broader goal of Transcendental Meditation is to provide the precondition for world peace” (p. 24). In this discipline, bliss is believed to arrive with the stillness of the mind.