Since its antiquity, meditation has
referred to a broad variety of techniques that promote relaxation and the
development of compassion, forgiveness, and generosity. But what was once
previously regarded as only a religious practice in eastern cultures has now
become increasingly popular in the west for its use in secular contexts. So
what does it mean to be mindful? It is a psychological concept defined as
complete one-pointedness of awareness in the present moment. This practice is
thought to bring greater calmness and physical relaxation, as well as
psychological balance. Recent studies have observed the neurobiological affects
of meditation and mindfulness exercise, and the results are astounding.
In eastern
cultures, meditation practices go beyond just sitting in one spot for hours
with legs crossed. Although this is the most common method, it takes years of
practice to actually get any benefit out of sitting meditation. The western
culture has become more attracted to meditation practices that involve
controlled movement. Techniques such as yoga or Tai Chi have become more
popular. Many westerners are now familiar with these meditation practices and
enjoy taking part in them. Students studying fields such as kinesiology may search
for careers involving yoga after understanding the physical and mental benefits
of the practice. In Dr. Jeste’s reference to Dr. Lavretsky’s talk, she explains
that these practices have become an increasingly used approach to improve
psychological well-being.
In the article,
Dr. Jeste explains that there is a tendency to divide psychiatric interventions
in which pharmaceuticals function through biological mechanisms and
psychosocial ones function through mental processes. This means that the
biology of psychiatric disorders can only be affected through drugs while the
behavioral aspects remain separate. However, many patients with mental
disorders have increasingly turned to meditation as a noninvasive “drug” for
the relief of symptoms such as stress, insomnia, and anxiety. Researchers are
now more interested in the biopsychosocial outcomes of this integrative
medicine.
As research
shows, meditation practices have shown to promote relaxation and benefit
depression, hypertension, and anxiety. Immune function has also shown to
improve in people to practice mindfulness meditation. Electroencephalography
(EEG) readings have shown increases in alpha, beta, and theta wave activity,
which means that these subjects show in increase in relaxation and
attentiveness. From the article, studies on stressed family dementia caregivers
have shown that meditation resulted in lower levels of depressive symptoms and
improvements in cognitive functions and mental health. Patients diagnosed with
schizophrenia have shown an increase in gray matter in specific brain regions
due to an enhancement in cognition. Meditation is thought to elicit the
activation of networks of internalized attention and emotion processing.
So instead
of turning to just drugs to treat the symptoms of disorders, although in many
cases this may be the only option, westerners have sought to gain the benefits
of practicing mindfulness meditation along with their medical treatments. This
can be argued against by the cultures of people who have utilized meditation
for centuries for its cleansing-of-the-mind purposes. Many eastern religions
forbid the use of intoxicants while practicing meditation. They regard
meditation as having a spiritual significance in which invasive drugs can only
make the practice more impure. Taking drugs while practicing mindfulness
defeats the purpose of mediation as an attempt to self-regulate the mind.
Whether one practices mediation with drugs for the treatment of mental
disorders or just simply practices meditation for its health benefits, this decision
is up to the individual. It is also interesting to note that without the use of
technology, ancient eastern cultures understood the importance of meditation.
Their evidence was simply a mastered concentration and an overall state of
well-being.
References
Jeste, M.D.,
Dilip. "Mindful Exercises and Meditation: Neurobiological Effects." PsychiatryOnline.
N.p., 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1680433>.
Lyons, Ph.D., Thomas. “Mindfulness, Meditation, and Drugs
and Alcohol Use.” Loyola University Chicago Neuroscience Seminar. 20 March
2014.
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